Meaning & use
messy
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Untidy, dirty or full of clutter.
Grammar: Describes places, people or things: a messy desk.
Patterns
- messy with something
His bedroom was always messy.
The kids made a messy kitchen while baking.
She hates messy handwriting.
adjectivecomparableinformal
Complicated and unpleasant to deal with, especially emotionally.
Grammar: Describes situations: a messy divorce.
Patterns
- a messy situation
The two companies had a messy breakup.
It was a messy argument with no clear winner.
Their messy divorce dragged on for years.
adjectivecomparable
Producing a lot of dirt when used.
Grammar: Often about tasks or foods: a messy job.
Patterns
- a messy job
Eating spaghetti is a messy business.
Painting can be messy for young children.
Changing the oil is a messy job.
Word forms
| comparative | messier |
|---|---|
| superlative | messiest |
Common combinations
- messy room
- Clean your messy room before dinner.
- messy divorce
- They went through a messy divorce.
- messy hair
- She went out with messy hair.
- messy business
- Politics can be a messy business.
- get messy
- Baking with toddlers gets messy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- untidy
- Untidy is milder and British, and usually describes places or appearance.
- cluttered
- Cluttered stresses too many things in a space.
- chaotic
- Chaotic is stronger and implies disorder out of control.
- sloppy
- Sloppy suggests careless work, while messy can just mean untidy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: messy or massive?
messy vs massive
Massive means very large and unrelated to untidiness.
Practice
The negotiations turned ___ when both sides refused to compromise.
Choose one answer.
Messy here means complicated and unpleasant; the other options describe things that are well organized.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “messy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.