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Added 10 October 2026

gnarly

/ˈnɑːli/ adjective

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gnarly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots.
gnarled and knotted hands

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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