gnarly

slang

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gnarly The six-mile Wilderness Trail passes through the center of the cape between gnarly pines and oaks, with optional trails to the Gulf side of the peninsula giving you the opportunity to create a loop hike (or out and back) of your choice where half of your mileage will be on sugary white sandy beach. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 30 May 2025 Once again, there is gnarly body horror involving children. Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 30 May 2025 Among its claims to fame are the steepest cliffs (more than 2,700 feet), the oldest rocks (1.8 billion-years) in North America, and a Gunnison River with gnarly Class V rapids that only the most experienced paddlers can run. Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 Fixing them is equal parts scientific miracle, big business, and human tragedy—a gnarly, technically complex procedure that requires months or years of painful recovery. The Atlantic, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gnarly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnarly
Adjective
  • The pair hit an ugly double-spinebuster on the Arabic announce table.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • One function of bug poems is to remind us that messier and more hideous relations always obtain.
    Hannah Brooks-Motl June 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
  • An alarming situation looked all the more hideous as boos rained down at Dodger Stadium for the club’s fourth straight loss.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • Republicans seem to try to outdo each other to see who can be the most hateful and disgusting.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025
  • First came the disgusting pictures of waters so fouled that they were often compared to rotting guacamole.
    Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • This theory dovetails neatly with several observations, including ones showing a roughly uniform distribution of Io’s volcanoes, which seem to be tapping the same omnipresent, hellish source of melt.
    Robin Andrews, Wired News, 15 June 2025
  • The freaky period piece and tragic family drama features Anja Taylor-Joy as a troubled 17th-century teen on the cusp of adulthood who goes down a dark path and Black Phillip as the G.O.A.T. of hellish goats. 23.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • And Trump’s targeting of college campuses for being havens of antisemitism has caused a backlash from liberals who might despise that strain of hatred, but find Trump equally as loathsome.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 23 June 2025
  • Covino on the other hand plays Paul with a dash of loathsome rich guy energy, that feels like the polar opposite of Carey’s mild nature.
    Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Players believe that the reward—life-changing money—is worth the impossible odds and horrid violence, and many express a desire to remain in a contest that dangles hope in front of them.
    Rory Doherty, Time, 27 June 2025
  • The coach who in his two seasons lost at home to New Mexico State, Vanderbilt and Cal (among others) is perfectly capable of having a horrid third year that spells the end.
    Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Unfortunately, some of the humans aren’t as compelling, even if their main purpose is to be a potential entrée for our beastly stars.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 30 June 2025
  • An American Werewolf in London' (1981) American dudes backpacking in England get attacked by a werewolf, one of them becomes a beastly nuisance on the full moon, and things get bloody freaky in old London Town.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict.
    Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 30 June 2025
  • Instead, the program selectively promoted one viewpoint while silencing others, effectively teaching children that religious beliefs about sexuality and gender are outdated or even hateful.
    Jeffrey S. Trimbath, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gnarly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnarly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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