messy

[ mes-ee ]

/ ˈmɛs i /

characterized by a dirty, untidy, or disordered condition: a messy room.

causing a mess: a messy recipe; messy work.

embarrassing, difficult, or unpleasant: a messy political situation.

characterized by moral or psychological confusion.

Origin of messy

First recorded in 1835–45; mess + -y¹

mess·i·ness, noun

messmate, messroom, messrs, messrs., messuage, messy, mestee, mester, mestiza, mestizo, mestome

Academics used to push politicians to see truth clearly—in all its messiness.

McGill's Judith Butler Bungle |Gil Troy |May 24, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
These nuns are far more enmeshed in the world, with all its messiness and ambiguities, than the male hierarchy is.

Rebel Nuns |Michelle Goldberg |May 21, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Progressives hate the messiness of this, preferring the direct application of reason by the intelligent elite.

Why Partisan Bickering Works |Tunku Varadarajan |February 23, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
The unwritten rule of luxury goods marketing is to rise above the messiness of the moment.

De Beers: Diamonds Are a Recession's Best Friend |Adam Hanft |December 6, 2008 |DAILY BEAST

But in spite of the messiness, it was the best food he had eaten in days.

The Time Traders |Andre Norton
The messiness of the place merely made the madness of the whole program seem worse.

The Fourth R |George Oliver Smith

messy

/ (ˈmɛsɪ) /

dirty, confused, or untidy

messily, adverb messiness, noun