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
Watching Eddie Redmayne do his herky-jerky dance, reaching out to the camera like a William Castle 3-D movie.
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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
There’s a lot of herky-jerky stopping and starting, but when Jenn gets behind the wheel, things are relatively smooth.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 23 July 2024
The herky-jerky, on-and-off annual decision-making stops us from spending money efficiently in the way that the taxpayer expects.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2015
Experts agree mid-drive bikes typically deliver a less herky-jerky ride, because the motor assist is integrated into the pedal crank itself.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
While there are some harder throwers in the system, the Rangers have been impressed by the 25-year old’s fastball-slider combination, a herky-jerky delivery and a fastball that appears to be on a jet stream moving up to the batter’s eyes.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 31 May 2023
Today just seemed a little herky-jerky, a little out of character, out of tempo and rhythm.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 22 Apr. 2023
Showtime’s Yellowjackets, which premieres its second season opposite the fourth and final season of Succession, is a series with herky-jerky mechanics.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2023
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
There’s a lot of herky-jerky stopping and starting, but when Jenn gets behind the wheel, things are relatively smooth.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 23 July 2024
The herky-jerky, on-and-off annual decision-making stops us from spending money efficiently in the way that the taxpayer expects.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2015
Experts agree mid-drive bikes typically deliver a less herky-jerky ride, because the motor assist is integrated into the pedal crank itself.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
While there are some harder throwers in the system, the Rangers have been impressed by the 25-year old’s fastball-slider combination, a herky-jerky delivery and a fastball that appears to be on a jet stream moving up to the batter’s eyes.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 31 May 2023
Today just seemed a little herky-jerky, a little out of character, out of tempo and rhythm.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 22 Apr. 2023
Showtime’s Yellowjackets, which premieres its second season opposite the fourth and final season of Succession, is a series with herky-jerky mechanics.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herky-jerky
Adjective
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The report comes during a rough period for the retail pharmacy giant.Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024
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Being a rookie who is recovering from a second ACL injury and second ACL surgery soon after recovering from the first ACL injury and surgery is a whole another level of rough.Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Blazy succeeds Virginie Viard, who exited Chanel last June after an uneven five-year tenure.WWD, WWD, 12 Dec. 2024
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However, private organizations often lack regulatory mandates to enforce consistent practices, leading to uneven adoption of basic measures.Tony Bradley, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The motor on the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro is quiet and smooth with no jerky operation.Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
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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
Adjective
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But with an arpeggiated, choppy set of bangs, there’s also a hint of 90s cyberpunk to the style.Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2024
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Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Bronny James, the 20-year-old son of 20-time All-NBA Lakers superstar power forward LeBron James, has had a choppy start on the hardwood to his pro career.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Part of the problem is that the journey to DevSecOps is bumpy and long.Forrester, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
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Straps secure the pad in place, while more hook-and-loop straps and precisely positioned blocks help keep bike frames and forks from unwanted jostling—no matter how bumpy the 4×4 road is.Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 27 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near herky-jerky
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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