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
His quickness and herky-jerky rhythm define his game.
—
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The Bone Temple is in many ways a more conventional film than 28 Years Later; DaCosta thankfully doesn’t try to re-create the herky-jerky rhythms and mixed-media montages of Boyle’s picture.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Primo left the seams showing on his best beats, deftly combining chunky sample chops and simple, swinging, heavy-bag drums into herky-jerky, screw-face symphonies.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
The way that life unfolds in herky-jerky, unpredictable rhythms informs the experimental approach that Dijon, a 33-year-old producer-singer, takes to R&B.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
If the segues in Scene don’t feel haphazard and herky-jerky, this is in no small part because of the role addiction plays as connective tissue between sections, a kind of leitmotif.
—Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
In a throwback to the warts-and-all silliness of the family’s legendary MTV reality show, The Osbournes, Coming Home appears to lean into the domestic comedy of the Osbourne clan, opening with a jittery Ozzy begging Sharon to stop driving in a herky-jerky manner.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
The lineup of dishes and sauces and combos verges on overwhelming; they’re presented in a mix of typefaces and colors, and punctuated by herky-jerky photo animations—a waving hand holding a soft-serve twist, spidery fingers with brass nail extensions used in the traditional Thai dance Fawn Leb.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Porter is the flashier option—herky-jerky handle, can get his own shot, and takes some of the scoring load off Antetokounmpo.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The Bone Temple is in many ways a more conventional film than 28 Years Later; DaCosta thankfully doesn’t try to re-create the herky-jerky rhythms and mixed-media montages of Boyle’s picture.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Primo left the seams showing on his best beats, deftly combining chunky sample chops and simple, swinging, heavy-bag drums into herky-jerky, screw-face symphonies.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
The way that life unfolds in herky-jerky, unpredictable rhythms informs the experimental approach that Dijon, a 33-year-old producer-singer, takes to R&B.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
If the segues in Scene don’t feel haphazard and herky-jerky, this is in no small part because of the role addiction plays as connective tissue between sections, a kind of leitmotif.
—Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
In a throwback to the warts-and-all silliness of the family’s legendary MTV reality show, The Osbournes, Coming Home appears to lean into the domestic comedy of the Osbourne clan, opening with a jittery Ozzy begging Sharon to stop driving in a herky-jerky manner.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
The lineup of dishes and sauces and combos verges on overwhelming; they’re presented in a mix of typefaces and colors, and punctuated by herky-jerky photo animations—a waving hand holding a soft-serve twist, spidery fingers with brass nail extensions used in the traditional Thai dance Fawn Leb.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Porter is the flashier option—herky-jerky handle, can get his own shot, and takes some of the scoring load off Antetokounmpo.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herky-jerky
Adjective
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If that means getting rougher and going outside of the rules and expectations for appropriate use of force, that’s all fine.—
Bob Ortega,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The Dolphins went 7-10 and missed the playoffs last season, benching Tagovailoa in favor of Quinn Ewers for the final three games, ending a rough season for the former Alabama star.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The National Park Service sees planting as insurance against the uneven distribution and high mortality of the naturally sprouting trees.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Davis’ successor, Steve Alford, failed to replicate the success of Davis’ goodbye season during his uneven eight-year run in Iowa City.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
April: Any jerky, any sort of jerky, Paddy: What's your favorite?—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Loose, fast, and slightly jerky steps, a sudden joy sweeping through the body like a wind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Saraf’s rookie season has been choppy, even by the standards of a rebuilding team that’s been cycling through young players all year.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Seas were slightly choppy downrange, but the skies were clear for the booster recovery.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In his fifth season after a bumpy journey through Denver and the LA Clippers, the Wolves picked him up toward the end of last season.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Many a Central Florida driver navigating around potholes or bumpy pavement might describe the region’s roads as bad.—
Natalia Jaramillo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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