Gnarly Meaning in English

word

US

ˈnɑɹɫi

NAR-lee

UK

nˈɑːli

NAH-lee

Definition

'Gnarly' can mean twisted and rough like a tree branch, but in slang it means something is very difficult, dangerous, or, especially in surfing/skateboarding culture, extremely cool or impressive.

Usage & Nuances

'Gnarly' is informal and mostly used by younger speakers or in sporty contexts. In traditional use, it means twisted/rough. In slang, it can be both positive ('That wave was gnarly!') or negative ('That's a gnarly cut.'). Often used in surf, skate, and extreme sports.

• Spanish: retorcido - brutal (coloquial) - increíble (jerga)
• Portuguese (BR): nódoa - radical (gíria) - irado (gíria)
• Portuguese (PT): retorcido - radical (gíria) - brutal (gíria)
• Chinese (Simplified): 多节的 - 棘手的 - 酷的（俚语）
• Chinese (Traditional): 多節的 - 棘手的 - 酷的（俚語）
• Hindi: टेढ़ा-मेढ़ा - जबरदस्त (स्लैंग) - मुश्किल (स्लैंग)
• Arabic: معقود - صعب (عامية) - رهيب (عامية)
• Bengali: বাঁকানো - কঠিন - চরম (অসাধারণ)
• Russian: корявый - жёсткий - крутой (сленг)
• Japanese: ねじれた - すごい（スラング）- やばい（大変・危険）
• Vietnamese: xù xì - khó khăn - chất (slang)
• Korean: 꼬불꼬불한 - 험한 - 끝내주는 (속어)
• Turkish: kıvrımlı - zorlu - acayip havalı (argo)
• Urdu: مڑا ہوا - مشکل - زبردست (سلینگ)
• Indonesian: berbelit - sulit - keren (slang)

Example Sentences

That old tree has gnarly branches.

basic

The road was gnarly after the storm.

basic

He showed me his gnarly scar.

basic

That was a gnarly wave—you totally crushed it!

natural

Wow, your schedule this week looks gnarly—so busy!

natural

That skate trick was totally gnarly!

natural