messy
/ˈmesi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmesi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈme-sē/ (ame, mw)
messy — 形容詞
- messypositive
- messiercomparative
- messiestsuperlative
1. Not clean or not arranged in a neat order; with things lying in the wrong places
雜亂的
不整潔、東西亂放的
Not clean or not arranged in a neat order; with things lying in the wrong places or not put away.
Eitan's desk was so messy that he could not find his keys anywhere.
Eitan 的書桌非常雜亂，他到處都找不到自己的鑰匙。
messy + desk/room/house — describing a place that is untidy
After painting the bedroom, Tara's hands were messy with blue paint.
粉刷完臥室後，Tara 的雙手沾滿了藍色油漆，弄得髒兮兮的。
messy + with + [substance] — describing what caused the dirt
The children came home from the park with messy hair and muddy shoes.
孩子們從公園回到家，頭髮亂七八糟，鞋子沾滿泥土。
Arjun always keeps his kitchen tidy, but his bedroom is extremely messy.
Arjun 的廚房總是保持得很整齊，但他的臥室卻極其雜亂。
- untidy
focuses on lack of neatness rather than dirt; slightly more formal
- cluttered
specifically means covered with too many things
- disordered
more formal; suggests things are in the wrong position
用法筆記
Commonly describes rooms (bedroom, kitchen), personal appearance (hair, clothes), and objects (desk, handwriting). Can also describe a person's habits: 'a messy person' means someone who does not keep things tidy.
常見錯誤
2. Describes an activity, job, or material that causes dirt or disorder, often whil
易弄髒的
做起來會弄髒或弄亂的
Describes an activity, job, or material that causes dirt or disorder, often while it is being done or used.
Eating chocolate cake is always a messy business for young children.
對小孩子來說，吃巧克力蛋糕總是件容易弄髒的事。
pattern: a messy business — fixed phrase for an activity that creates mess
Yasmin found that fixing the old pipe was a messy job that left water everywhere.
Yasmin 發現修理那根舊水管是一項髒亂的工作，弄得到處都是水。
messy job / messy work — activity that creates dirt or disorder
Romi refused to do any messy work such as gardening or painting.
Romi 拒絕做任何像園藝或油漆這類容易弄髒的工作。
Élise knew that baking a cake with her toddler would be messy but fun.
Élise 知道和她的幼兒一起烤蛋糕會弄得髒兮兮的，但很好玩。
- clean
free from dirt; an activity that does not create dirt
用法筆記
Typically appears before nouns describing activities: work, job, business, task. The structure 'be a messy [noun]' is the most common pattern. This sense focuses on the process, not the result — a 'messy job' makes things dirty while you do it.
常見錯誤
3. Filled with problems, confusion, or unpleasant disagreements that are hard to de
棘手的
充滿問題且難以解決的
Filled with problems, confusion, or unpleasant disagreements that are hard to deal with or resolve.
The divorce was a long and messy process for the whole family.
那場離婚對全家來說是一個漫長又棘手的過程。
messy divorce/breakup — a difficult, painful separation with conflict
After the election, the country went through a messy period of protests and arguments.
選舉過後，該國經歷了一段充滿抗議與爭論的混亂時期。
Sumin tried to stay out of the messy argument between her two closest friends.
Sumin 試圖不要介入她那兩位好友之間的棘手爭執。
Constanza's messy financial problems after the business failure took years to fix.
Constanza 在生意失敗後遇到的棘手財務問題花了多年才解決。
- complicated
focuses on difficulty rather than unpleasantness; more neutral
- tangled
suggests many connected problems that are hard to separate
- confused
emphasizes lack of clarity rather than conflict
- simple
easy to understand or deal with
- straightforward
clear and without complications
用法筆記
Often found with nouns describing conflicts or separations: divorce, breakup, dispute, situation. In informal speech, 'things got messy' means a situation became difficult to manage. This sense is never used for physical dirt or untidiness.