jerky

1 of 2

adjective

ˈjər-kē 

jerkier; jerkiest

1

a

: moving along with or marked by fits and starts

b

: characterized by abrupt transitions

2

: inane, foolish

jerkily

ˈjər-kə-lē 

adverb

jerkiness

ˈjər-kē-nəs 

noun

jerky

2 of 2

noun

jer·​ky ˈjər-kē 

: jerked meat

Synonyms

Adjective

• bumpy
• choppy
• herky-jerky
• jouncy
• rough

Examples of jerky in a Sentence

Adjective

The movie was jerky and hard to watch.

made jerky progress walking with the new crutches

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The motor on the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro is quiet and smooth with no jerky operation. —Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

Williams is already Beale Street jerky tough and looks like a plug-and-play 3-and-D wing. —Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 11 Apr. 2024

Noun

Those videos helped Yay’s amass tens of thousands of TikTok followers, who keep buying the jerky, Cheng said. —Annie Palmer, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2024

But beef jerky is probably my number one — a good spicy piece of thick cut jerky is great. —Elycia Rubin, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

jerk entry 2 + -y entry 1

Noun

borrowed from American Spanish charqui (borrowed from southern Peruvian Quechua ch'arki), conformed to jerk entry 4 and earlier jerked

First Known Use

Adjective

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing jerky

• herky-jerky

Kids Definition

jerky

1 of 2 noun

jer·​ky

ˈjər-kē

: jerked meat

jerky

2 of 2 adjective

ˈjər-kē

jerkier; jerkiest

1

: marked by jerks

a jerky ride on a dirt road

2

: stupid, foolish

jerkily

-kə-lē

adverb

jerkiness

-kē-nəs

noun

Etymology

Noun

from Spanish charqui "jerky," from Quechua ch'arki

Adjective

jerk (noun) and -y (adjective suffix)