Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having gnarls; knotty or misshapen: gnarled branches.
- adj. Morose or peevish; crabbed.
- adj. Rugged and roughened, as from old age or work: the gnarled hands of a carpenter.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
Wiktionary
- adj. knotty and misshapen
- adj. made rough by age or hard work
- v. Simple past tense and past participle of gnarl. (Etymology 1)
- v. Simple past tense and past participle of gnarl. (Etymology 2)
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Knotty; full of knots or gnarls; twisted; crossgrained.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots
Etymologies
- See gnarl (Etymology 2) (Wiktionary)
- Probably variant of knarled, from knarl, tangle, knot, alteration of Middle English knarre, knot in wood; see knar. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“What kind of gnarled soul must one have not to crack a smile at the sight of a world-renowned Oscar winner belting out "Dancing Queen" in overalls?”
How soon can I reserve my tickets for a singalong screening of 'Mamma Mia!'? | EW.com
“The perpetual inversions, the habitual irony, the mingled tenderness and mockery, give a kind of gnarled surface to the style, which is pleasant when you get familiar with it, but which repels the stranger, and to some people even remains permanently disagreeable.”
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 01, No. 01, November, 1857 A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics
“Mr. Percy FitzGerald, on visiting it some years ago, ventured to seek of the "gnarled" waiter information on the momentous question of Mr. Pickwick and his adventure.”
The Inns and Taverns of "Pickwick"; with Some Observations on Their Other Associations,
“She was hoping that Dan would never grow "gnarled" towards herself, longing for him to speak and promise that he would not, but he still remained silent, and presently the door burst open, the rinking party appeared on the threshold, and the opportunity for quiet conclave was over.”
“If you're looking to bring the outdoors in, mix materials such as gnarled wood (as seen in their barley twist twin beds).”
“In a devastatingly detailed piece of testimony, which probably sealed victory for the TV company, Shaw admitted that she couldn't see their faces, but identified Terre'Blanche from his huge white bottom, which rose and fell between Allan's recognisably "gnarled" toes.”
“However, if you're hoping that Betty White mania has faded completely-and, seriously, what kind of gnarled, coal-like heart have you got, anyway?!”
“In a devastatingly detailed piece of testimony which probably sealed victory for the TV company Shaw admitted that she couldn't see their faces, but identified Terreblanche from his huge white bottom, which rose and fell between Allan's recognisably 'gnarled' toes.”
“What kind of gnarled soul must one have not to crack a smile at the sight of a world-renowned Oscar winner belting out”
“I read it with amazement, unaware that the grandmother who wore aprons over her house dresses, the woman whose hands were gnarled and worn with years of toil, had once shared my dream.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘gnarled’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Beautiful and Ugly
Beautiful, attractive, well-formed
Ugly, unattractive, malformedadorable, alluring, angelic, appealing, appetizing, attractive, beaming, beauteous, beautiful, becoming, beguiling, bewitching and 180 more...
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1500 word lists
TOEFL iBT - 1500 Academic Words
exhume, excess, explode, exceed, expenditure, expectant, exhibition, eutrophication, eruption, erode, ethical, enterprise and 142 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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aliko's Words
deli, turkey, bodrum, deniz, sunny, seks, tatil, hava, zeeman, captain, kapitein, kaptan and 256 more...
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words found to be generally pleasing
alabaster, mahogany, camphor, coalesce, spire, portmanteau, gadabout, palaver, dolor, dour, dun, luminesce and 610 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, G
grocer, gabanergic, gabardine, gabbro, gaffe, gneiss, grapple, grosgrain, grommet, gratify, gossamer, goofy and 194 more...
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theastic's Words
cellar, stalemate, wrought, opal, tyrant, squelch, squab, linen, tartan, paisley, scope, siren and 395 more...
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Wordwild's Delights
Delightful words to read and use
plangent, ribald, titubant, sidereal, pelagic, improvident, dolorous, parlous, baleful, precatory, pied, mephitic and 247 more...
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Mélange
doggerel, odsbodkins, platitudinous, ennui, strappleberry, stygian, inchoate, incipient, deleterious, gnarled, troglodyte, interlocutor and 96 more...
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effleurer's Words
languor, nincompoop, masquerade, envelop, deceit, guttersnipe, undulating, ululation, ridiculous, insufferable, loverly, eternity and 89 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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Setting the Scene: Dark and Dreary
Words that lend to the dark and dreary atmosphere of gothic literature.
dark, dreary, shroud, shrouded, veiled, skeleton, skeletal, dead, death, murky, gloomy, lugubrious and 274 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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complicated words
mire, mirth, misapplication, reluctant, aghast, surreptitiously, wares, abashed, leap, dash, peer, tangle and 107 more...
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2007bee-r02
2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee Round 2
query, tendency, danceable, parachute, malignant, brutal, humanely, lyrically, deductible, shindig, gravel, embroidered and 274 more...
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