as in rough
marked by a series of sharp quick motions
filmed in a herky-jerky style that will give many moviegoers a headache
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Recent Examples of herky-jerky
Remember that live design collaboration suffered from maddening lag times and herky-jerky movements just a few short years ago.
—
PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
But even if Trump’s tariffs ultimately end up being less harsh than feared, a worry hitting the market is that their herky-jerky rollout may by itself create enough nervousness to get U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending, which would damage the economy.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Judging by what Trump has said so far, and the herky-jerky way peace talks in Saudi Arabia have been rolled out, the president would be satisfied with a ceasefire that contained no guarantees of Ukrainian security should Putin later renege on the deal.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
What better for the crafty, herky-jerky guard than a big man who can roll, pop and allow Brunson to play off the ball more because of his passing?
—James L. Edwards Iii, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Late in a herky-jerky first half, the backup guard’s emphatic drive and dunk helped cut into Penn State’s lead.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2025
Just in time for a herky-jerky square between your celestial ruler, Mercury, and rebellious Uranus on Feb. 10, expect unexpected tensions to rise in your personal and professional relationships as you are being called to create a healthy balance between both.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Watching Eddie Redmayne do his herky-jerky dance, reaching out to the camera like a William Castle 3-D movie.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 17 June 2024
Hong Kong martial arts cinema legend Sammo Hung brought jiangshi to the screen with 1980’s Encounters of the Spooky Kind, a silly kung fu horror-comedy that features a hilarious set piece as Hung comically evades a hopping corpse’s herky-jerky attacks.
—James Grebey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
But even if Trump’s tariffs ultimately end up being less harsh than feared, a worry hitting the market is that their herky-jerky rollout may by itself create enough nervousness to get U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending, which would damage the economy.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Judging by what Trump has said so far, and the herky-jerky way peace talks in Saudi Arabia have been rolled out, the president would be satisfied with a ceasefire that contained no guarantees of Ukrainian security should Putin later renege on the deal.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
What better for the crafty, herky-jerky guard than a big man who can roll, pop and allow Brunson to play off the ball more because of his passing?
—James L. Edwards Iii, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Late in a herky-jerky first half, the backup guard’s emphatic drive and dunk helped cut into Penn State’s lead.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2025
Just in time for a herky-jerky square between your celestial ruler, Mercury, and rebellious Uranus on Feb. 10, expect unexpected tensions to rise in your personal and professional relationships as you are being called to create a healthy balance between both.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Watching Eddie Redmayne do his herky-jerky dance, reaching out to the camera like a William Castle 3-D movie.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 17 June 2024
Hong Kong martial arts cinema legend Sammo Hung brought jiangshi to the screen with 1980’s Encounters of the Spooky Kind, a silly kung fu horror-comedy that features a hilarious set piece as Hung comically evades a hopping corpse’s herky-jerky attacks.
—James Grebey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herky-jerky
Adjective
-
If history provides any clues, the U.S. soybean farmers are in for a rough year.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
This is his first-person account of how a rough start after high school eventually led to a job at The Star and a redemptive moment while on assignment.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But also undeniable is the Heat receiving tangible depth from the Plan B trade with Butler, depth that arguably had previously been lacking amid the uneven seasons of Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr., as well as depth compromised by the broken hand of Nikola Jovic.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2025
-
After running out of steam with the uneven 1992 sister albums Lucky Town and Human Touch, Springsteen spent most of the decade raising his kids and tentatively circling a reunion with the E Street Band while searching for new directions.—
Ryan Leas,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These aren’t jerky, pre-programmed movements, but something more fluid and adaptive — the result of a new AI model called Gemini Robotics that the company unveiled earlier this month.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
24 Mar. 2025
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The group choreography is somehow both jerky and smooth, sprinkled with flashes of individual freestyle brilliance.—
Sheldon Pearce,
The New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Corrin’s hair was styled with a few choppy wisps by Patrick Wilson to frame their face.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
-
My background is so much in bluegrass, and bluegrass is all about that choppy kind of backbeat thing with the mandolin.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Their relationship was a bumpy one, yet oddly enough, neither had anything to do with the other’s ousting.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
9 Apr. 2025
-
There have been some bumpy days in their friendship, notably between 2007 and 2010 when Ovechkin took a number of runs at Malkin during games, which illustrated a strain in their friendship for a time.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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