# messy

/ˈmɛsi/ (US) · /mˈɛsi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/messy
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. untidy or dirty

adjective · CEFR A2

untidy, dirty, or not organized.

For teachers: characterised by a lack of order or cleanliness; physically cluttered or disorganized.

- His bedroom was so messy that he couldn't find his shoes on the floor.
- The artist's studio was famously messy, with half-finished canvases and open paint jars scattered across every available surface.

### 2. causing a mess

adjective · CEFR B1

describing an activity or person that creates a lot of dirt or untidiness.

For teachers: prone to creating disorder or leaving a trail of refuse; describing an activity that inherently produces waste or dirt.

- Eating spaghetti can be very messy if you aren't careful with the sauce.
- The renovation proved to be a messy process, as plaster dust managed to seep through the protective plastic sheets into the rest of the house.

### 3. complicated or unpleasant

adjective · CEFR B2

difficult to deal with because it is complicated or involves strong emotions.

For teachers: complex, unpleasant, or difficult to resolve, often due to emotional or legal complications.

- The couple had a messy divorce that took years to finalize.
- The negotiations became messy when both parties realized that the original contract contained several contradictory clauses regarding intellectual property.

### 4. dramatic or gossipy

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

describing someone who likes to start drama or share secrets about other people.

For teachers: characterised by a tendency to provoke social conflict, spread gossip, or engage in unnecessary drama.

- I don't want to be messy, but did you hear why they actually broke up?
- She was known for being messy in the office, constantly whispering about her colleagues' private lives to anyone who would listen.

## Examples

- My bedroom is always messy on Monday mornings.
- The kitchen became incredibly messy after we tried to bake three different cakes at once.
- The legal battle turned into a messy public dispute that eventually forced the board of directors to resign under intense media scrutiny.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.