Gnarliest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The most extreme challenge or difficulty is regarded as the worst possible scenario
2. Something that is exceptionally tough or adverse is seen as the most problematic experience
3. The most intense or daunting situation is considered the greatest challenge one might face

Etymology: "Gnarliest" is the superlative of "gnarly", so it inherits the whole story of its base word. The root is "gnarl", a knot in wood, which made "gnarly" literally mean knotty or twisted, the way a gnarled oak trunk looks. The "-y" ending simply turns the noun into an adjective, so the original sense was physical: rough, tangled, full of knots. The modern slang sense, in which something is extremely difficult or dangerous, came from a surprising direction. It was popularized by American surf culture in the 1970s, where a wave that was big, hollow and punishing was "gnarly". Surfers borrowed the image of a tangled, unforgiving knot and applied it to the sea, and the sense spread from there into general slang.

Synonyms: roughest, toughest

Antonyms: smoothest, easiest