Meaning trap
mess up
emotionally disturb
To cause someone emotional or psychological harm, distress, or long-term difficulties, often as a result of a traumatic or negative experience.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To cause someone emotional or psychological harm, distress, or long-term difficulties, often as a result of a traumatic or negative experience.
'mess up' also has the more basic meaning 'make a mistake'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The constant criticism from her parents really messed her up as a teenager.psychology
- Some experts argue that exposure to violence at a young age can seriously mess children up, leading to long-term psychological issues.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: mess (someone) up
WrongThe accident messed up him for years.
RightThe accident messed him up for years.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'messed him up'.
Patternmess (someone) up
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Mess up' captures lasting emotional damage in casual speech; the formal version is clinical.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
mess + someone + uphim upyou upher upkids up
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 senses, which refer to making a mistake or making something untidy, this sense is figurative and refers to causing emotional or psychological harm to a person.
Related
- mess up (make a mistake) — 'mess up' also has the more basic meaning 'make a mistake'; this is the advanced sense.