(messier, messiest)
1.
A ~ person or activity makes things dirty or untidy.
She was a good, if ~, cook...
As the work tends to be a bit ~ 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 ~ is dirty or untidy.
Don’t worry if this first coat of paint looks ~.
ADJ
3.
If you describe a situation as ~, you are emphasizing that it is confused or complicated, and therefore unsatisfactory.
John had been through a ~ divorce himself...
ADJ