Gnarly Meaning in English
word
ˈnɑɹɫi
NAR-lee
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