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 result was Pinkerton, a gnarly, bruised album that tapped into Cuomo's loneliness, boredom and anger.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

Ivy stared up at the structure, nestled among the gnarly branches of a giant oak near the back fence.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

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

Lyonne, 38, has a weird ability to grow more appealing the gnarlier her character and surroundings get.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 6, 2017

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

From Washington Post ● Dec. 11, 2016

The roots, which she had not seen properly until now, were large and pale like daikon, though much gnarlier and bristling with a mess of shaggy tendrils.

From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 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

Of course, Boritt had devoted much of that life, as a historian, to picking at one of the gnarliest scabs in American history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 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

There was a full-page ad in The New York Times that took all the products in the category and listed all the gnarliest ingredients and said, “This is what’s in plant-based meat.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2021

Birth is the most gnarliest thing of life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2021

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

From Washington Post