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
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
Lamar rapped with intense focus, nailing every bit of elegantly herky-jerky choreography.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2025
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
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
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
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
Lamar rapped with intense focus, nailing every bit of elegantly herky-jerky choreography.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herky-jerky
Adjective
-
Oz has had 30 (homers) and 100 (RBIs) before and can have some rough patches and still has a way of coming out of it.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman had a rough outing against the New York Yankees on Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The two men had worked together for years, selling everything from colon cleanses to get-rich-quick advice, before pivoting to crypto with uneven results.—
Eric Lipton,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
An even newer device, an electronic screener or balance board, measures foot movements as the patient tries to balance themselves on an uneven surface with their eyes open, and then closed.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
27 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
-
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
-
Stocks are choppy Tuesday, with all three major indexes struggling to maintain their early gains.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2025
-
All three major indexes closed higher after a choppy day of trading.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The path to Fyre Festival 2 has been bumpy for years.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
-
While this will make most people think of all the current controversy surrounding the former CEO, the personal relationship between McMahon and Triple H has been bumpy to say the least.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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