gnarl
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
verb
Etymology
Origin of gnarl1
First recorded in 1805–15; back formation from gnarled
Origin of gnarl2
First recorded in 1585–95; variant of gnar
Explanation
To gnarl is to twist something up until it's deformed. A gnarl is something twisted up like a knot. When you gnarl something, you twist and mangle it. If you have long hair that's gnarled, it's become knotted and clumped up. You could say one of those clumps of hair is a gnarl. People's bodies can gnarl too, especially as they get older. An old person with crooked, poor posture has become gnarled. A tree that is twisted is gnarled. When something's gnarled, it's hard to untwist.
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.
Occasional slipups gnarl at the ear as well.
From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2023
“These nights, I don’t know how I survive,” Ben Gibbard repeats on the first track, howling over a distorted gnarl of guitar.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2022
"Confrontational", "devastating", "visceral", "frazzled", "guttural, volcanic crescendos of industrial gnarl".
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2021
“I found mine in those trees,” she said, pointing to a gnarl of branches and trunks on the road.
From Reuters • Oct. 9, 2017
The one gnarl of her childhood was the knowledge that, if she did not die of one of her diseases, she would eventually have to marry and go live with in-laws.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
