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

No matter how gnarly the form and finish, there’s always a whiff of the precious and the cute—or, in the case of avant-garde “sculptural” jewelry, the pretentious or vainglorious.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

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

From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026

I want to talk about some of the procedures and cases that we’ll see this season because they’re pretty gnarly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026

But he has won five of his eight matches and ground out a gnarly singles win over Rose.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025

Abbey said he was probably a gnarly old mate from one of the sportfishing boats, or maybe a bridge person who’d seen us around the island and overheard us calling each other by name.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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 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

Cider apples are different varietals from the ones people eat — gnarlier to look at and less tasty.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 11, 2016

On the heels of the last verse, King takes another guitar solo, this one gnarlier and more flamboyant than the last, with scalding 16th-note runs nestled against what is now an avalanche of female screams.

From Slate ● May 15, 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

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

Professional surfers live a nomadic, unusual lifestyle; the very best trot across the globe in search of the gnarliest waves.

From Washington Post