# Gnarly

> Dangerous, extreme or intimidating.

**What "gnarly" means in surfing:** Dangerous, extreme or intimidating. Gnarly surf is big and scary; a gnarly wipeout is a bad one. It can also mean impressive, in the sense of so intense it's good.

**Example:** "That reef gets gnarly on the low tide."

**Category:** People

## Related words

- [Heavy](https://surfslang.com/heavy): Serious, dangerous or intense.
- [Charger](https://surfslang.com/charger): A surfer who takes on big, heavy or dangerous waves without hesitation.
- [Slab](https://surfslang.com/slab): A thick, heavy wave that breaks suddenly over shallow reef or rock, often with a step in the face.

---

Source: [Gnarly](https://surfslang.com/gnarly) on Surfslang.com, the surf slang glossary. Full glossary: https://surfslang.com/llms.txt