gnarly

American  

[nahr-lee] / ˈnɑr li /

adjective

gnarlier, gnarliest

1. twisted with or as if with gnarls or knots; gnarled.

   long and gnarly fingers.

2. Slang. distasteful or distressing; offensive; gross.

   a comic noted for his gnarly humor.

3. Slang. excellent; wonderful.

   The live album has some gnarly guitar riffs and sweet bass lines.

4. Slang. difficult or dangerous.

   the gnarly surf.

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gnarly British  

/ ˈnɑːlɪ /

adjective

1. another word for gnarled

2. informal good; great

3. slang surfing difficult and dangerous

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Other Word Forms

• gnarliness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gnarly

First recorded in 1820–30; gnarl ¹ + -y ¹

Explanation

Something gnarly is twisted, knotty, or bent, like the gnarly branches of an old apple tree or the gnarly fingers of an elderly person. "Gnarled and knotted" is the original meaning of this adjective, from the Middle English knar, "knob, knot, or mass." Confusingly, though, it's just as commonly used in two other (completely opposite) ways, to mean both "difficult" and "wonderful." In the 1970s, North American surfers adopted gnarly into their slang to describe a huge, dangerous wave. Later it came to mean "awesome," as in: "Listen to this gnarly guitar solo!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gnarly gnarlier gnarliest

Preparing for a gnarly thunderstorm that would probably wipe out our power?

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Nor are members choosing to resign instead of waiting for a gnarly Ethics Committee report to drop.

From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026

This is a native landscape of dark and gnarly forms of oak trees, which are numbered in chalk to keep track of their stripping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

"The conditions on the North Shore are gnarly."

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

Steeples stretched up to the moonlit night, and Sierra could make out the gnarly silhouettes of gargoyles jutting out to either side.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

These intimations of mortality, which I wouldn’t have minded hearing about in even gnarlier detail, suggest cracks in Barbie’s psyche, but also in Barbie Land’s very foundations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

And this practice might have driven the evolution of gnarlier tail clubs, much like how modern elk employ their elaborate antlers not only to tussle with one another but also to impress prospective mates.

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2022

A gnarlier control issue arises if robots are rude in the service of a societal, rather than personal, goal.

From Slate ● Aug. 23, 2021

A cessation of hostilities has been declared between Casablancas’s gnarlier meanderings in his side-gig, the Voidz, and the effortless, five-way synchromesh of peak Strokes.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 11, 2020

The most seasoned outfitter among many in this town that can take you for a fun morning float or on a longer, gnarlier river ride.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2015

Skateboarders are trying to pull off their gnarliest trick: saving San Francisco’s most hated monument from extinction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

“In contrast, this year has so much death metal in the basement. This is the gnarliest Barboza we’ve ever had.”

From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024

All went well up to day 13 of 16, when the group of rafters approached Lava Falls, “the gnarliest rapid I’ve ever navigated” and one you can’t avoid by portaging.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2023

When that rockabilly figure went on his long hiatus, the band morphed into Switchblade, still one of the snarliest, gnarliest bands to come out of D.C.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2022

Quarterback Justin Herbert’s high throw to Mike Williams hit the wide receiver’s hands, but Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey — one of the gnarliest corners in this N.F.L. — was on the spot to rough up Williams.

From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2021