1
as in rough
marked by a series of sharp quick motions
made jerky progress walking with the new crutches
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
he's acting jerky just to get people's attention
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerky
Avoid jerky or panicky movements, and don’t wave for help — movement may attract the drone.
—
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Stress, excitement or tiredness can set off an unwanted, uncontrollable volley of sudden jerky movements and/or a spew of four-letter and other words.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
April: Any jerky, any sort of jerky, Paddy: What's your favorite?
—Outside Online, 11 Feb. 2026
One-pedal driving, where the motors regeneratively brake in proportion to the amount the driver lifts their foot from the throttle pedal, is far too jerky and abrupt, particularly to initial inputs.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jerky
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Stress, excitement or tiredness can set off an unwanted, uncontrollable volley of sudden jerky movements and/or a spew of four-letter and other words.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
April: Any jerky, any sort of jerky, Paddy: What's your favorite?
—Outside Online, 11 Feb. 2026
One-pedal driving, where the motors regeneratively brake in proportion to the amount the driver lifts their foot from the throttle pedal, is far too jerky and abrupt, particularly to initial inputs.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for jerky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerky
Adjective
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Spring is typically prime time for the housing market, but this year’s season is off to a rough start.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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The star also gets a rough ride from many of the elementary school interviewees that allows the unlikely gardening enthusiast to embrace his more familiar manchild.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Doxxing is just a form of stupid bullying, not free speech.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
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Healey must think ratepayers – who are burdened with some of the highest energy costs in the country – are pretty stupid and simple minded.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Luxury players are showing an uneven recovery following a boom that ended in 2022.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
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The uneven access across states can exacerbate disparities.—
Moriah Balingit,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The manic, madcap, chaotic and silly stunt show was heavy on exposition to the delight of the fans who cheered the entrance of every One Piece character and laughed at the downfall of paper-thin goon.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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And so a very silly conversation leads to a series of positions that are far from frivolous.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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The ad-sales shuffle marks the second choppy handoff of executives who oversee one of the company’s key sources of revenue.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Until recently, history has largely recognized this foolish law as a New Deal mistake.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Little purple blossoms appearing on my lawn mean my jacaranda tree will soon be in bloom, leaving its sticky remnants all over the sidewalk, lawn and anyone foolish enough to park underneath it.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Categorizing the plunge pool as TIO for something like a charity scramble or regular public play would be one thing, but to do so in a major championship with a purse of $9 million seems fundamentally wrong and also insane.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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The reception to your performance in the Rusical was insane.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In the annals of English football, this shoots close to the top of the list of ridiculous moments, along with Troy Deeney’s mad goal for Watford in the Championship play-offs in 2013 and Sergio Aguero’s Premier League title-winning strike for Manchester City in 2012.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Here's our list of the five best space prison movies (in no particular order, don't get mad at the numbers).—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerky. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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