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

The gnarly riffs and polished guitar tones across last year’s Bees in the Bonnet occasionally leaned into the jazzy or minimal, but the overarching sheen was of a retro rock machismo. —Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026

As in The Pitt‘s first season, the staff is forced to deal with everything from gnarly rashes to missing limbs, emergency surgeries and sudden deaths. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026

After receiving a cutter on the apron, Persephone hit Blanchard with a gnarly German suplex. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026

Don’t let your trip be interrupted by a gnarly sunburn, and come prepared with sunscreen—especially for your face, which will likely get the most exposure. —Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see gnarled

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gnarly

• barley
• charley
• charlie
• marly
• bizarrely