messy

messy
[[t]me̱si[/t]]
messier, messiest
1) ADJ-GRADED A messy person or activity makes things dirty or untidy.

She was a good, if messy, cook...

As the work tends to be a bit messy you'll need to wear old clothes.

Derived words:
messily ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v, also ADV adj

She wrote it hastily and messily on a scrap of paper.

2) ADJ-GRADED Something that is messy is dirty or untidy.

Dad cooks when Mum is busy, he makes me clean up my messy room...

Don't worry if this first coat of paint looks messy.

3) ADJ-GRADED If you describe a situation as messy, you are emphasizing that it is confused or complicated, and therefore unsatisfactory.

John had been through a messy divorce himself...

Life is a messy and tangled business...

Negotiations would be messy and time-consuming.


English dictionary. 2008.

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