gnarly

[nahr-lee]

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.

gnarly

/ ˈnɑːlɪ /

adjective

1. another word for gnarled

2. informal,  good; great

3. slang,  surfing difficult and dangerous

Other Word Forms

• gnarliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gnarly¹

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

Example Sentences

“You have to take pills when you do a surgery that gnarly.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At the center of the talks have been gnarly territorial disputes—in particular, the fate of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

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What’s more fun is how Tipping finds gnarly ways to drive home his critical point, mostly through increasingly absurd interactions between Cameron and Isaiah.

Read more on Salon

He described the crash as “gnarly” and said it resulted in him breaking his back, ankle, four ribs and a hand.

Read more on Los Angeles Times