gnarly

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gnarly

/ˈnɑːli/ UK
/ˈnɑɹli/ US

Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)li

Where it comes from

From gnarl (“knot in wood”) + -y. The slang senses were particularly popularized by US surf culture in the 1970s.

adjective gnarlier · gnarliest

Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled. a gnarly stump
Similar: gnarled, knobbly, knobby
dated, slang Excellent; attractive. a gnarly dude
Similar: awesome
US, dated, slang Dangerous; difficult. a gnarly problem
US, slang Unpleasant, awful, ugly. We're not talking about a lame chick and a gnarly guy. We're talking about a couple of far-out dudes.
US, slang Of music or a sound: harsh. Near-synonyms: cacophonic, discordant, jarring
Similar: cacophonic, discordant, jarring

Similar: cool, rad, wicked, dreadful, nasty, awful

Thesaurus

adjective

Similar: cool, rad, wicked, dreadful, nasty, awful

Translations

Every language

adj slang: excellent; attractive

Español	bravo, bravoso, mostro
Русский	клёвый kljóvyj

adj slang, US: dangerous

Español	bravo, bravoso, peliagudo, espinoso
日本語	ヤバい yabai

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MLA

"gnarly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gnarly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gnarly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gnarly

Chicago

"gnarly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gnarly.

BibTeX

@misc{gnarly_2026,
  title = {gnarly},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gnarly},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}