Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Disorderly and dirty.
- adjective Given to making messes; not neat or organized.
- adjective Exhibiting or demonstrating carelessness.
- adjective Unpleasantly difficult to settle or resolve.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In a state of mess, confusion, ordirtiness; making a mess; littered or littering; untidy.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective of a place in a
disorderly state;chaotic ; disorderly. - adjective of a person prone to causing
mess . - adjective of a situation difficult or unpleasant to
deal with
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective dirty and disorderly
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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What we need instead is what I describe as messy coherence, a sense of direction with with requisite diversity.
Cognitive Edge 2010
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Now, this is what I call a messy situation because Thai police are hellbent on proving that it was anything but murder.
Celeb Guru 2009
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Where things get messy is less with tax-exempt status, but with allowing federal and state aid to flow through these institutions.
Does separation of church and state not apply to Jerry Falwell? « Dating Jesus 2009
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But all she did was preserve what the department had; she has yet to upgrade the operation or figure out a way for her department to become the clear mother ship for US smart power deployed in messy international situations.
Steve Clemons: State Department Should Have Gone for More in QDDR Process Steve Clemons 2010
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Ginsberg's life was messy, and reflecting it too precisely would almost certainly result in messy filmmaking.
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There is always a technocratic urge in messy changing technology markets to swoop in and mandate a standard from above, even while the technology is still evolving.
Coyote Blog » Blog Archive » The Technocratic Standard-Setting Urge 2009
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But all she did was preserve what the department had; she has yet to upgrade the operation or figure out a way for her department to become the clear mother ship for US smart power deployed in messy international situations.
Steve Clemons: State Department Should Have Gone for More in QDDR Process Steve Clemons 2010
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Ginsberg's life was messy, and reflecting it too precisely would almost certainly result in messy filmmaking.
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But all she did was preserve what the department had; she has yet to upgrade the operation or figure out a way for her department to become the clear mother ship for US smart power deployed in messy international situations.
Steve Clemons: State Department Should Have Gone for More in QDDR Process Steve Clemons 2010
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Bright photographs fetishize hardship -- happy Natives fishing, pensive Natives in messy houses.
Stephanie Woodard: The New Indian Fighters: Lt. Col. McCaskill and Major WaPo Stephanie Woodard 2010
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It's the list of people you don't want your partner to date, because it would be weird or awkward or potentially have negative consequences for you. Typical people on a messy list might be your roommates, your relatives, your exes or your boss.
What is a messy list? psychoutfluffyboi 2025
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Some people have a "messy list," it goes like this: something like, "Do not date coworkers, relatives, friends, etc., people with whom things could get messy if things turn south. There's plenty of people to date in this world without going for the messy ones."
My partner likes my best friend Inaniel 2025
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I think it is totally fair to say "We are not compatible. Your messy list is way too big for me."
How big can a messy list be? Am I being unreasonable? Need some outside perspective. 5ferrets_in_a_suit 2025
bilby commented on the word messy
"Being in the VIP tent at the races isn't all it's cracked up to be. You have to small talk the company clients when all you really want to do is get messy with your mates."
- flatmate, July 2011.
July 14, 2012