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
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.
With Richards’s gnarled, withering guitar lines and Jagger drawling and declaiming, there’s no mistaking the band behind “Foreign Tongues.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
He's very experienced, a gnarled pro in Scotland, there's nothing he doesn't know about this league.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Still, Harper and Yasmin’s existences are inextricably linked, gnarled together in a helix of favors and bargains.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
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.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
The crown gleams in his gnarled hands, glowing as if sunlight emanated from the metal itself.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
