gnarly

adjective

ˈnär-lē

gnarlier; gnarliest

Synonyms of gnarly next

: gnarled

gnarly branches

slang : very bad: such as

: 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

: nasty, unpleasant

"This guy has some pretty gnarly karma coming …"—

Drew Barrymore

: 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

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

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.

This is a gnarly tragedy and there’s no two ways around it. —

Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025 In a surprise twist not three minutes into Episode 1, Delgado is shot and killed during a traffic stop — a gnarly execution that casts a shadow over the remainder of Season 1. —

Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 9 Jan. 2025 The big picture: Any such process would be pretty gnarly. —

Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025 Pickett left the game during the third quarter after taking a gnarly hit to the side from the Cowboys' defense that reaggravated a rib injury. —

George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gnarly