# gnarly

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈnɑːli/ · frequency rank #38,416

## Definitions
1. Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled.
2. Excellent; attractive.
3. Dangerous; difficult.
4. Unpleasant, awful, ugly.
5. Unpleasant, awful, ugly.

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

## Easily confused with
- **Gary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gary-vs-gnarly)
- **girly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girly-vs-gnarly)
- **Geary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/geary-vs-gnarly)
- **gladly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gladly-vs-gnarly)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ganrly`, `ggnarly`, `gnalry`, `gnarlly`, `gnarlyy`, `gnarrly`, `gnaryl`, `gnnarly`, `gnraly`, `ngarly`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gnarly