Need another word that means the same as “messy”? Find 24 synonyms and 30 related words for “messy” in this overview.
Table Of Contents:
The synonyms of “Messy” are: mussy, dirty, filthy, grubby, soiled, grimy, begrimed, disorderly, disordered, muddled, in a muddle, chaotic, confused, disorganized, in disarray, in turmoil, disarranged, convoluted, complex, intricate, tangled, tortuous, confusing, difficult
Messy as an Adjective
Definitions of "Messy" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “messy” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Untidy or dirty.
- (of a situation) confused and difficult to deal with.
- Dirty and disorderly.
- Generating or involving mess.
Synonyms of "Messy" as an adjective (24 Words)
| begrimed | Blackened with ingrained dirt. A miner s begrimed face. |
| chaotic | Completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing. The political situation was chaotic. |
| complex | Denoting an ion or molecule in which one or more groups are linked to a metal atom by coordinate bonds. A complex network of water channels. |
| confused | Mentally confused unable to think with clarity or act intelligently. Bewildered and confused. |
| confusing | Bewildering or perplexing. A confusing jumble of road signs. |
| convoluted | (especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow. The film is let down by a convoluted plot in which nothing really happens. |
| difficult | Hard to control. Lily could be difficult. |
| disarranged | Having the arrangement disturbed; not in order. Her disarranged hair. |
| disordered | Lacking orderly continuity. She went to comb her disordered hair. |
| disorderly | In utter disorder. Disorderly conduct. |
| disorganized | Unable to plan one’s activities efficiently. She s very muddled and disorganized. |
| filthy | Characterized by obscenity. It looked like being a filthy night. |
| grimy | Covered with or characterized by grime. The grimy industrial city. |
| grubby | Thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot. The grubby business of selling arms. |
| in a muddle | Currently fashionable. |
| in disarray | Holding office. |
| in turmoil | Currently fashionable. |
| intricate | Very complicated or detailed. An intricate network of canals. |
| muddled | Not arranged in order; untidy. The muddled display of pictures has been taken down. |
| mussy | Dirty and disorderly. A mussy fussy bedroom. |
| soiled | Soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime. A soiled T shirt. |
| tangled | Highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious. The tangled ropes. |
| tortuous | Excessively lengthy and complex. His tortuous reasoning. |
Usage Examples of "Messy" as an adjective
- His messy hair.
- A messy divorce.
- A child's messy eating habits.
- Stripping wallpaper can be a messy, time-consuming job.
Associations of "Messy" (30 Words)
| chaos | The formless and disordered state of matter before the creation of the cosmos. Snow caused chaos in the region. |
| chaotic | Lacking a visible order or organization. The political situation was chaotic. |
| clutter | A confused multitude of things. The attic is full of clutter. |
| crowding | A situation in which people or things are crowded together. He didn t like the crowding on the beach. |
| dirt | A substance, such as mud or dust, that soils someone or something. Michael threw a handful of dirt on to the coffin. |
| disheveled | In disarray; extremely disorderly- Al Spiers. Her clothing was disheveled. |
| disorder | Bring disorder to. Skin disorders. |
| disorderly | Completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing. Disorderly youths. |
| distracted | Unable to concentrate because one is preoccupied by something worrying or unpleasant. Charlotte seemed too distracted to give him much attention. |
| filthy | Vile; despicable. Filthy language. |
| grimy | Thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot. The grimy industrial city. |
| jumble | Be all mixed up or jumbled together. His words jumbled. |
| lousy | Teeming with (something regarded as undesirable. Lousy weather. |
| mess | Have one s meals with a particular person especially as a member of an armed forces mess. She replaced the jug and mopped up the mess. |
| muddle | Mix (a drink) or stir (an ingredient) into a drink. Muddle the kiwi slices with the sugar. |
| promiscuous | Casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior. Promiscuous teenagers. |
| rumple | Become wrinkled or crumpled or creased. She left her clothes in a rumple on the floor. |
| seamy | Morally degraded. A seamy sex scandal. |
| seedy | Shabby and squalid. A seedy district. |
| slipshod | (of shoes) worn down at the heel. He d caused many problems with his slipshod management. |
| sloven | A coarse obnoxious person. |
| slovenly | (especially of a person or action) careless; excessively casual. A fat slovenly ex rock star. |
| smother | A mass of something that stifles or obscures. I dreamt a stranger was trying to kill me by smothering me with a pillow. |
| squalid | Morally degraded. A squalid attempt to save themselves from electoral embarrassment. |
| stinking | Very bad or unpleasant. She is obviously stinking rich. |
| unclean | Dirty. Wore an unclean shirt. |
| unkempt | (especially of a person) having an untidy or dishevelled appearance. Wild unkempt hair. |
| untidy | Not inclined to keep one’s possessions or appearance neat and in order. The place was dreadfully untidy. |
