Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - messy

(messier, messiest) 1. 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. ADJ • messily She wrote it hastily and messily on a scrap of paper. ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj 2. Something that is messy is dirty or untidy. Don’t worry if this first coat of paint looks messy. ADJ 3. 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... ADJ