messy
messy — adjective
1. Not clean or not arranged in a neat order; with things lying in the wrong places
Not clean or not arranged in a neat order; with things lying in the wrong places or not put away.
Eitan's desk was so messy that he could not find his keys anywhere.
messy + desk/room/house — describing a place that is untidy
After painting the bedroom, Tara's hands were messy with blue paint.
messy + with + [substance] — describing what caused the dirt
The children came home from the park with messy hair and muddy shoes.
Arjun always keeps his kitchen tidy, but his bedroom is extremely messy.
- untidy
focuses on lack of neatness rather than dirt; slightly more formal
- cluttered
specifically means covered with too many things
- disordered
more formal; suggests things are in the wrong position
用法筆記
Commonly describes rooms (bedroom, kitchen), personal appearance (hair, clothes), and objects (desk, handwriting). Can also describe a person's habits: 'a messy person' means someone who does not keep things tidy.
常見錯誤
2. Describes an activity, job, or material that causes dirt or disorder, often whil
Describes an activity, job, or material that causes dirt or disorder, often while it is being done or used.
Eating chocolate cake is always a messy business for young children.
pattern: a messy business — fixed phrase for an activity that creates mess
Yasmin found that fixing the old pipe was a messy job that left water everywhere.
messy job / messy work — activity that creates dirt or disorder
Romi refused to do any messy work such as gardening or painting.
Élise knew that baking a cake with her toddler would be messy but fun.
- clean
free from dirt; an activity that does not create dirt
用法筆記
Typically appears before nouns describing activities: work, job, business, task. The structure 'be a messy [noun]' is the most common pattern. This sense focuses on the process, not the result — a 'messy job' makes things dirty while you do it.
常見錯誤
3. Filled with problems, confusion, or unpleasant disagreements that are hard to de
Filled with problems, confusion, or unpleasant disagreements that are hard to deal with or resolve.
The divorce was a long and messy process for the whole family.
messy divorce/breakup — a difficult, painful separation with conflict
After the election, the country went through a messy period of protests and arguments.
Sumin tried to stay out of the messy argument between her two closest friends.
Constanza's messy financial problems after the business failure took years to fix.
- complicated
focuses on difficulty rather than unpleasantness; more neutral
- tangled
suggests many connected problems that are hard to separate
- confused
emphasizes lack of clarity rather than conflict
- simple
easy to understand or deal with
- straightforward
clear and without complications
用法筆記
Often found with nouns describing conflicts or separations: divorce, breakup, dispute, situation. In informal speech, 'things got messy' means a situation became difficult to manage. This sense is never used for physical dirt or untidiness.