gnarly

Etymology
. The slang senses were particularly popularized by US surf culture in the 1970s.

Adjective

 * 1) Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled.
 * 2)  Excellent; attractive.
 * 3)  Dangerous; difficult.
 * 4)  Unpleasant, awful, ugly.
 * 5) * 1981,, Baja Oklahoma, New York, N.Y.: , ISBN 978-0-689-11173-0 ; reprinted New York, N.Y.: , 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)  Of music or a sound: harsh.
 * 1)  Unpleasant, awful, ugly.
 * 2) * 1981,, Baja Oklahoma, New York, N.Y.: , ISBN 978-0-689-11173-0 ; reprinted New York, N.Y.: , 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)  Of music or a sound: harsh.
 * 1)  Of music or a sound: harsh.
 * 1)  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, knobbly, knobby
 * cool
 * awful, dreadful, nasty
 * discordant

Translations

 * Russian:


 * Japanese: ヤバい