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

Reversing a gnarly trend The signs seemed clear — and ugly. —Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024

What are the gnarly ethics of eating demi-human creatures? —Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Every year another branch or two will die until you’re left with gnarly, unattractive plants with no form. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024

Although there is plenty of the gnarly gore that was a trademark of the original series, which premiered in 2010, the new spinoff’s main focus is the more intimate romance between Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the fierce warrior Michonne (Danai Gurira). —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024

It’s been nearly two years since major cities in the Northeast have seen major snowfall (except for the Christmas Buffalo blizzard of 2022), but with a gnarly storm headed for the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast this weekend, that could soon change. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024

Red Eye moves like a bullet, jumping from disaster movie to psychological two-hander to blazing action and eventually a pretty gnarly stalker-in-the-house sequence. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2024

Reach out to a doctor who can help figure out if cough pearls are the best course of action to treat that gnarly cough. —Ayana Underwood, SELF, 7 Feb. 2024

That said, those interested in the simpler pleasures of watching bugs go splat will also find plenty to like, from its gnarly, goo-slinging action set pieces to CGI effects that stand up to today's technology. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

see gnarled

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1