Gnarly

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈnɑːli/

Definitions

1. Having a rough, knotted, or twisted texture or form, especially referring to wood or natural shapes ; presenting hardships or being hard to deal with, causing difficulty or requiring skill ; exceptionally good or impressive, often used informally to show admiration
2. Marked by twisted, rugged surfaces like gnarled tree branches ; describing something that is tough or demanding, needing effort to overcome ; used slangily to express something as very cool or remarkable
3. Characterized by warped and bumpy features, common in old wood or roots ; relating to a tough or unpleasant situation that requires resilience ; slang for something outstanding or remarkably excellent, often used among surfers or youth

Etymology: "Gnarly" began as a plain description of wood. A "gnarl" is a knot in timber, and the adjective built on it, with the common "-y" ending, meant knotty or twisted, the way a gnarled oak branch is. That sense is still the literal core of the word: something rough, bent and hard to work with. The slang meaning is a much later and far more surprising shift. Somewhere along the way, "gnarly" stopped describing knotted wood and started describing things that were rough, intense, dangerous or impressive, and in that sense it was particularly popularized by US surf culture in the 1970s. Surfers used it for huge, punishing waves, so a word once tied to a tree's knots came to praise a wild and challenging ride.

Synonyms: twisted, knotty, rough

Antonyms: smooth, straight, easy