gnarled

[nahrld]

adjective

1. (of trees) full of or covered with gnarls; bent; twisted.

2. having a rugged, weather-beaten appearance.

   a gnarled old sea captain.

3. crabby; cantankerous.

gnarled

/ nɑːld /

adjective

1. having gnarls

2. (esp of hands) rough, twisted, and weather-beaten in appearance

3. perverse or ill-tempered

Other Word Forms

• ungnarled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gnarled¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; variant of knurled

Example Sentences

It’ll be a long time before the baby Joshua trees resemble the gnarled icons that dot the park.

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The trees are skinny, with gnarled branches that twist around one another.

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The old woman grunted and used one long, gnarled finger to beckon Penelope inside.

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She wore bangle earrings and rings etched with strange talismans on each of her gnarled fingers.

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Environmentalists warn that development projects threaten the region's unique mix of dunes, pine forests, gnarled cork trees and an endless patchwork of rice fields.

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Related Words

• contorted 
• crooked 
• deformed 
• gnarly 
• twisted 
• wrinkled www.thesaurus.com