gnarly

[ nahr-lee ]
/ ˈnɑr li /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gnarly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, gnarl·i·er, gnarl·i·est.

twisted with or as if with gnarls or knots; gnarled: long and gnarly fingers.
Slang. distasteful or distressing; offensive; gross: a comic noted for his gnarly humor.
Slang. excellent; wonderful: The live album has some gnarly guitar riffs and sweet bass lines.
Slang. difficult or dangerous: the gnarly surf.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THESE WORDS FROM BROWN GIRL DREAMING!

Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gnarly

First recorded in 1820–30; gnarl1 + -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM gnarly

gnarl·i·ness, noun

Words nearby gnarly

G.N., gnamma hole, gnar, gnarl, gnarled, gnarly, gnash, gnashers, gnash one's teeth, gnat, gnatcatcher
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Content related to gnarly

“Gnarly,” “Nasty,” And “Sick”: Are These Synonyms?Gnarly, nasty, and sick all sound bad, and do have negative meanings. But can they also be good? And can they be used interchangeably? Turns out, sometimes.
READ MORE

Words related to gnarly

hairy, boss, great, keen, magnificent, marvelous, neat, nifty, sensational, superb, swell, wonderful, finest

Example sentences from the Web for gnarly

British Dictionary definitions for gnarly

gnarly
/ (ˈnɑːlɪ) /

adjective

another word for gnarled
NZ informal good; great
surfing slang difficult and dangerous
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