gnarly

Adjective

gnarly (comparative gnarlier, superlative gnarliest)

1. Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled.
   • a gnarly stump
   • Out of one window I can see the garden, those mysterious deep-shaded arbors, the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees.1892 January, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wall Paper, Boston, Mass.: Small, Maynard & Company, published 1901, →OCLC, page 13

   Synonyms:

   gnarled, knobbly, knobby

2. (dated, slang) Excellent; attractive.
   • a gnarly dude
   • There ain't nothing gnarlier (apparently) than slapping on some brightly coloured sunblock to ward off the blinding spectre of dangerous, snow-reflected sunlight.2000 January 16, Sunday Herald, Glasgow

   Synonyms:

   awesome

3. (US, dated, slang) Dangerous; difficult.
   • a gnarly problem
   • When the swell struck, the North Shore got gnarly, and the wise ones hit the outer islands where the energy was just as juicy but a bit more organized.1977 March, Surfer
4. (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.1981, Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum Books, ISBN 978-0-689-11173-0; reprinted New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, 1982, ISBN 978-0-671-45163-9, page 269
   • Funky Kong: 'Those Snowmads are a gnarly bunch! I hear they're enjoyin' your island. Go get 'em, DK!'2014 February, Retro Studios, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Nintendo, level/area: Funky's Fly 'n' Buy
   1. (US, slang) Of music or a sound: harsh.
      • Near-synonyms: cacophonic, discordant, jarring
      • [She] displays the same love of gnarly fuzztones and shout-it-out-loud choruses that began back in her daze^([sic]) with local all-girl rockers the Runaways.1986 October 12, Los Angeles Times