messy

«messy» in Mova's school dictionary: Untidy or dirty: «a messy room» — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (messy, messier, messiest)

meaning for a pupil

1) Untidy or dirty: «a messy room». tree →

2) Making things dirty or untidy: «a messy job like painting». tree →

3) Complicated and unpleasant: «a messy argument». tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life: messy bedrooms, messy eating, messy play with paint and sand; tidying up is good manners and safety (things on the floor cause trips). In school, «messy handwriting» is hard to read. Phrases: «messy room», «messy hair», «messy play».

examples

• My room is very messy. tree →
• Painting is messy, so wear an apron. tree →
• Spaghetti is a messy food. tree →
• His handwriting is too messy to read. tree →
• The baby is a messy eater. tree →
• Toys on a messy floor can make people trip. tree →
• The end of their friendship was messy. tree →
• He had carried Tinker Bell part of the way, and his hand was still messy with the fairy dust. tree →

note

Comparatives: messier, messiest. Noun: mess. Opposite: tidy, neat. «Messy» about a situation means it is complicated, not dirty.

In the corpora

• "Your room looks like a bomb's hit it" is an exaggeration meaning the room is very messy.
• Your best protection is simple: keep your messy notes and drafts, because they show the work is yours.
• People call a messy room a pigsty, but pigs are among the cleanest and cleverest animals on the farm.
• "It's complicated" means a relationship is messy or uncertain.
• Food in adverts is styled and photographed to look perfect; real food is usually smaller and messier.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «messy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.