See mess in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
A group of things gathered haphazardly:
agglomeration, bank1, cumulus, drift, heap, hill, mass, mound, mountain, pile, shock2, stack, tumble. See orderA lack of order or regular arrangement:
chaos, clutter, confusedness, confusion, derangement, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, jumble, mix-up, muddle, muss, scramble, topsy-turviness, tumble. (Slang) snafu. See orderA ruinous state of disorder:
botch, foul-up, muddle, shambles. (Informal) hash. (Slang) screwup, snafu. See correct, orderAn unsightly object:
monstrosity, ugliness. (Informal) fright, sight, ugly. See beautifulAn individual quantity of food:
helping, portion, serving. See ingestion
verb
To handle something idly, ignorantly, or destructively:
fiddle, fool, meddle, tamper, tinker. (Informal) monkey. See help, touchTo put (the hair or clothes) into a state of disarray.
Also used with up: disarrange, dishevel, disorder, muss (up), rumple, tousle. See order
phrasal verb mess around- (Informal)
To waste time by engaging in aimless activity:
doodle, fool, putter. (Informal) fool around. See thrive - (Informal)
To be nervously or uselessly active:
bustle, fuss, putter. See action, calm - (Informal)
To be sexually unfaithful to another:
philander, womanize. (Informal) cheat, fool around, play around. See sex
phrasal verb mess upTo harm irreparably through inept handling; make a mess:
ball up, blunder, boggle, botch, bungle, foul up, fumble, gum up, mishandle, mismanage, muddle, muff, spoil. (Informal) bollix up, muck up. (Slang) blow1, goof up, louse up, screw up, snafu. Idiom: make a muck of. See correct, helpTo put into total disorder:
ball up, confuse, disorder, jumble, muddle, scramble, snarl2. (Slang) snafu. Idiom: play havoc with. See orderTo put out of proper order:
derange, disarrange, disarray, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mix up, muddle, tumble, unsettle, upset. See order- (Slang)
To be rough or brutal with:
knock about (or around), manhandle, rough (up), slap around. See attack, strike
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