gnarled
Americanadjective
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having a rugged, weather-beaten appearance.
a gnarled old sea captain.
adjective
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having gnarls
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(esp of hands) rough, twisted, and weather-beaten in appearance
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perverse or ill-tempered
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of gnarled
First recorded in 1595–1605; variant of knurled
Explanation
You’ve probably heard the word "gnarly" used to describe something really awesome. But gnarled means rugged, roughened and knotty, like the hands of an old wood carver, as well as the wood he carves. We owe the adjective gnarled and other forms of the word to our friend Shakespeare, who created it in 1603. In Measure for Measure, he writes, “Thy sharpe and sulpherous bolt splits the un-wedgable and gnarled oak.” But gnarled didn't come into use again until the 19th century. In any case, word experts believe it's related to the Middle English word knar which means “knot in wood.”
Vocabulary lists containing gnarled
List 2
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Walk Two Moons
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"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gnarled or elongated fingers, ungainly bodies, oddities of perspective and scale, heavy-handed outlines — these features made Neel’s work feel closer to van Gogh’s.
From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2021
Gnarled red spruce trees, after which the mountain is named, grow deformed on one side, shorn by punishing westerly winds that tear over the ridge.
From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2020
Gnarled chunks of aluminum siding were thrown about with wood beams, many with protruding nails, and other pieces of former residences.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2017
Gnarled branches and entire small trees lay on the ground in waiting, but it was a beautiful sight.
From Forbes • Jun. 5, 2015
The unofficial and true story involved a Bog Monster following him and Sheed home after they uncovered an eldritch patch of swamp deep in the Gnarled Forest.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
