gnarly

adjective

ˈnär-lē 

gnarlier; gnarliest

1

: gnarled

gnarly branches

2

slang : very bad: such as

a

: very difficult or challenging to deal with

a gnarly [=thorny, knotty] problem

gnarly conditions

Having … skidded around gnarly hairpin turns … , the two bikers pedaled furiously for the finish.

—Austin Murphy

b

: nasty, unpleasant

"This guy has some pretty gnarly karma coming …"

—Drew Barrymore

c

: arousing disgust or distaste : gross

A cute toe polish can't save gnarly, callused soles.

—Jessica R. White

" … It'll be kind of a gruesome death. You know, its fur will start falling out, it'll develop gnarly sores all over its body. … "

—David Randall

3

slang : cool, excellent

After initially wiping out on the left wave, [Filipe] Toledo responded with a gnarly air reverse on the right and was rewarded with a 9.27.

—Hanford Sentinel

especially : having a pleasingly or impressively rugged or rough quality

He played in the NFL, but then got bored with football and became a FBI agent. He was a gnarly dude.

—Reece Kelley Graham

And yet [Mark] Knopfler built a reputation as an intensely creative virtuoso (not to mention an ace songwriter), showing remarkable command over a range of tones and textures—from the gnarly distortion on hit single "Money for Nothing" to the stinging precision of "Tunnel of Love."

—Rolling Stone

Examples of gnarly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This truly is a dark comedy, from the gnarly character designs to the ruthlessly cynical heart of our corporate antihero. —EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024

From guns to booby traps, Dutch leads the charge to take down the gnarly, terrifying looking alien. —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 28 Nov. 2024

And as millions of people hit the roads and skies for the holiday, gnarly winter weather could whip up some Turkey Day travel trouble. —Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024

The Storm 450 is also easy to power for those gnarly dawn patrol wake-up calls—simply pop in three AAA batteries or recharge the brand’s compatible lithium-ion battery (sold separately). —Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see gnarled

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1