This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
gnarl
1[ nahrl ]
/ nɑrl /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a knotty protuberance on a tree; knot.
verb (used with object)
to twist into a knotted or distorted form.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of gnarl
1First recorded in 1805–15; back formation from gnarled
Words nearby gnarl
Other definitions for gnarl (2 of 2)
gnarl2
[ nahrl ]
/ nɑrl /
verb (used without object)
to growl; snarl.
Origin of gnarl
2First recorded in 1585–95; variant of gnar
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use gnarl in a sentence
In a little while he returned, carrying a gnarl of pine wood, which he set to blazing at the fire.
The Red Tavern|Charles Raymond MacauleyThe ball is a knob or gnarl from the trunk of a tree, carefully formed into a globular shape.
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol I of II)|Alice Bertha Gomme
British Dictionary definitions for gnarl (1 of 2)
gnarl1
/ (nɑːl) /
noun
any knotty protuberance or swelling on a tree
verb
(tr) to knot or cause to knot
Word Origin for gnarl
C19: back formation from gnarled, probably variant of knurled; see knurl
British Dictionary definitions for gnarl (2 of 2)
gnarl2
gnar (nɑː)
/ (nɑːl) /
verb
(intr) obsolete to growl or snarl
Word Origin for gnarl
C16: of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012