From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgnarlygnarl‧y /ˈnɑːli $ ˈnɑːr-/ adjective 1 a gnarly tree or branch is rough and twisted with hard lumps SYN gnarled2 gnarly hands or fingers are twisted, rough, and difficult to move, usually because they are old SYN gnarled3 GOOD/EXCELLENT American English spoken a word meaning very good or excellent, used by young people ‘Look at the size of that wave.’ ‘Gnarly!’4 GOOD ENOUGH American English spoken a word meaning very bad, used by young people a gnarly car wreck
Examples from the Corpus
gnarly• On the way home, there was a gnarly car wreck on the side of the road. 