gnarly

[ nahr-lee ]
See synonyms for gnarly on Thesaurus.com
adjective,gnarl·i·er, gnarl·i·est.
  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.

  1. Slang. excellent; wonderful: The live album has some gnarly guitar riffs and sweet bass lines.

  2. Slang. difficult or dangerous: the gnarly surf.

Origin of gnarly

1
First recorded in 1820–30; gnarl1 + -y1

Other words from gnarly

  • gnarl·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for gnarly

gnarly

/ (ˈnɑːlɪ) /


adjective
  1. another word for gnarled

  2. NZ informal good; great

  1. 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