different between gnarls vs gnarly

English

Noun

gnarls

1. plural of gnarl

Verb

gnarls

1. Third-person singular simple present indicative form of gnarl

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n??li/
• (General American) enPR: när?li, IPA^(key): /?n??li/

Adjective

gnarly (comparative gnarlier, superlative gnarliest)

1. Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled.
2. (slang) Excellent; attractive.
3. (slang, US) Dangerous; difficult.
4. (slang, US) Unpleasant, awful, ugly.
   • 1981, Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum Books, ISBN 978-0-689-11173-0; reprinted New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, 1982, ISBN 978-0-671-45163-9, page 269:

     We're not talking about a lame chick and a gnarly guy. We're talking about a couple of far-out dudes.

   1. (slang, US) Of music or a sound: harsh.

Usage notes

Note the word’s contradictory senses of “good” and “bad”. Its meaning varies by community and context, and may be indicated by extra-verbal cues such as tone of voice. The sense of “good” is particularly associated with surf culture, to the point of being somewhat clichéd as in “gnarly wave, dude!”.

Synonyms

• (gnarled): gnarled, knobbly, knobby
• (slang: excellent; attractive): cool
• (slang, US: unpleasant, awful): awful, dreadful, nasty
• (slang, US: harsh (of music or sound)): discordant

Translations

References