The divorce was painful and messy.

那次离婚令人痛苦而又纠葛不清。

《牛津词典》

And despite our valiant efforts and expertise, it's a messy and painful process.

尽管我们付出了努力和专业知识，但是整个过程仍是很散乱和痛苦的。

youdao

And the truth of the matter is, is that the process looked painful and messy, but the innumerable hearings that were held did give an opportunity for the product to get refined so that I think that the ultimate package, after potential negotiations between the House and the Senate, is better than where we started.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Takes Questions from Senate Democrats

More likely, he will conclude that reform is messy and painful.

ECONOMIST: The shock of the old

The process can be messy and painful--and often unprofitable.

FORBES: Fact and Comment