How to Use messy in a Sentence

messy

adjective
  • Painting a room can be messy work.
  • Some kinds of glue are messier than others.
  • Girls can be messy and that rules!
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
  • But the truth is a lot messier.
    — Mariel Carr, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
  • No messy egg half-moons in sight.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 16 Mar. 2026
  • And that the wig was messy, but cute.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
  • His draft year was a messy one, though.
    — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Here's where this case gets even messier.
    — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Your head is as messy as your room is.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Zoom has had a messy start to the year.
    — Josh Brown and Sean Russo, CNBC, 4 May 2026
  • And that’s when things start to get messy.
    — Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • It gets all wrapped up in this messy web.
    — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 18 June 2026
  • The next shot is a little messier.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
  • Still messy, too early to make a call.
    — Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
  • These also get messy with ice and salt.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Her hair is pulled into a low, messy bun.
    — Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • People are very scared to be messy these days.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Wear clothes that can get paint on them, as this craft can get messy.
    — courant.com, 29 July 2021
  • Had a layoff, were rusty, and messy.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
  • In practice, that process can look messy.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 15 Mar. 2026
  • If plans start to get messy, tighten them up.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Add tariffs to the mix and things get even messier.
    — Tara Donaldson, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The world is messy, not spotless.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Things predictably get messy from there.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
  • For plane travel, messy snacks are not a great idea.
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 24 Mar. 2026
  • But keep in mind that this can get a little messy!
    — Rabekah Henderson, The Spruce, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The look was kind of messy and a little rock and roll.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
  • Life is messy; your mattress shouldn’t be.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Sales wastes time on bad leads, and the pipeline gets messy.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Both can be true, and that messy middle ground is life.
    — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'messy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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