as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision
a colleague known for her knee-jerk rejection of any proposal that she didn't originate
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knee-jerk
When someone touches you, a knee-jerk response can be anything from feeling the hair on your body stand to wanting to melt into a puddle of goodness.
—
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 26 Feb. 2025
There’s just one tiny thing: A certain subset of the Academy has a knee-jerk reaction to horror movies, especially goopy and gory ones.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025
Are Democrats too knee-jerk to say that all this is unlawful?
—CBS News, 23 Feb. 2025
Musk have said, arguing that the resistance to DOGE has less to do with opposition to cutting the bureaucracy and more to do with a knee-jerk opposition of anything Trump does.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knee-jerk
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 26 Feb. 2025
There’s just one tiny thing: A certain subset of the Academy has a knee-jerk reaction to horror movies, especially goopy and gory ones.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025
Are Democrats too knee-jerk to say that all this is unlawful?
—CBS News, 23 Feb. 2025
Musk have said, arguing that the resistance to DOGE has less to do with opposition to cutting the bureaucracy and more to do with a knee-jerk opposition of anything Trump does.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knee-jerk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knee-jerk
Adjective
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The conferences that are awarded automatic bids are: Atlantic Hockey America (AHA), Big Ten, Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), Hockey East, and National Collegiate Hockey Conference.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Kemper said part of the uptick was related to other enforcement operations — specifically people picked up for other crimes then attacking the arresting officers, an automatic felony.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Engineered to deliver booming bass at all volume levels, the speaker sports dual 58mm tweeters, a 165mm bass driver, a bass reflex tube and BlueAnt’s signature psycho-acoustic bass.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Common triggers include dehydration from illness, vasovagal syncope—a reflex response to nausea or pain—abnormal heart rhythms, and heart valve conditions such as aortic stenosis.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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On Facebook, the city government shared images of cracks in the walls of the lazy river, rust in the mechanical room and chipping concrete on a pedestrian bridge.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2025
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mentorship, professional development, and spontaneous idea-sharing are harder to replicate in virtual settings.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Gaga’s brassy belt brings out one of the album’s most passionate vocals from Bennett, who even lets out a spontaneous laugh toward the end of the song.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Another instinctive reaction to tariff announcements is shifting sourcing and manufacturing back to the United States.—
Jim DeLoach,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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This show should finally set the record straight: here is an American visionary whose obsessive paintings are at once stylized and crudely instinctive, achieving a kind of cryptic simplicity that might be called folk surrealism.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Provided by a company named Honeybee Robotics, this device could be used as a cheaper alternative to other sample collection methods, such as robotic arms, on future planetary science missions.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
18 Mar. 2025
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The Second Cup Coffee Company is launching Mozo, a robotic barista, in Beirut, enhancing efficiency and consistency in café service.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For instance, regulatory decisions in major economies, such as the United States, China, and Europe, can trigger sudden and dramatic price swings.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Brett Gardner and his wife Jessica announced on Sunday that their son Miller had died after a sudden illness while on vacation.—
Ana Melgar Zuniga and Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the footage, a large coastal carpet python rests on a mechanic shop's floor.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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His current mechanic shop is basically a retirement hobby, something to pass the time.—
Zach Helfand,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knee-jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knee-jerk. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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