noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ absolute , complete , fine ( esp. AmE ), hopeless , real , royal ( esp. AmE ), total , utter
▪
I got myself into a complete ~.
▪ entire , whole
▪
You started this entire ~!
▪ appalling ( BrE ), awful , horrible , nasty , stupid , terrible , ugly , unholy
▪ big , giant , huge
▪
The whole situation is a giant ~.
▪
I'm in a huge ~. I don't know what to do.
▪ complicated , confusing , incoherent
▪
The plot is an incoherent ~.
▪ chaotic
▪ jumbled , muddled ( esp. AmE ), tangled , untidy ( BrE )
▪
Her hair was a tangled ~.
▪ bloody , disgusting , gooey , muddy , slimy , sloppy , soggy , sticky
▪
Soon both fighters were a bloody ~ of flying punches.
▪
Why don't you clean up this disgusting ~?
▪ emotional
▪
He's been an emotional ~ since his girlfriend left him.
▪ economic , financial
VERB + MESS
▪ leave , make
▪
Must you always leave such a ~?
▪
She felt she was making a terrible ~ of her life.
▪ clean up , clear up , tidy up ( esp. BrE ), wipe up
▪ look ( BrE ), look like ( esp. AmE )
▪ become
▪
My life's becoming a big ~.
▪ get (sb) into , get (sb) out of
▪
Who got us into this ~ in the first place?
▪ cause , create , start
▪
That was what caused this whole ~ in the first place.
▪ deal with , fix ( AmE ), resolve , sort out , straighten out
▪
I have to try to fix the ~ you caused.
PREPOSITION
▪ in a ~
▪
The kitchen's in an awful ~.
▪
We found ourselves in a real ~.
▪ ~ of
▪
She searched through the ~ of papers on her desk. ( esp. AmE )
PHRASES
▪ make a ~ of things
▪
I've really made a ~ of things!