ˈmesē, -si adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: mess (I) + -y
1. : in a confused, disordered, or dirty state or condition : untidy
a messy room
those messy herbaceous borders — Osbert Lancaster
2. : that causes or is likely to cause a confused, disordered, or dirty state or condition
a messy pen
the messy business of infant feeding — New Yorker
3. : lacking neatness or precision : careless , slovenly
messy thinking
messy legislation
cannot simply eliminate attitudes, emotions, values, desires, multiple and messy meanings — H.J.Muller
4. : unpleasantly or tryingly difficult of execution or settlement
a messy job
messy lawsuits
a messy traffic problem
scandal, crime, and messy disasters sell newspapers — A.J.Liebling
5. : effusive or sentimental to an excessive or embarrassing degree
messy introductions
the messy rhetorical violence of the other speakers — Robert Lowell
a certain messy generosity of manner — Louis Auchincloss