1
as in rough
marked by a series of sharp quick motions
made jerky progress walking with the new crutches
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
he's acting jerky just to get people's attention
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerky
The 24-time major champion was unusually jerky in his movements.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Unlike conventional controllers, which produce distracting noise and jerky motion, ours enables slow, stable, and human-speed walking—even on stairs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 May 2025
Mine-Cart Madness really is that jerky, definitely look out for your back and neck.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 22 May 2025
Jack Links Sour Cream and Onion Jerky, Hot Dill Pickle Beef Sticks
Coming January to most major grocery stores
Next year, jerky titan Jack Links is set to unveil a handful of new meat snacks including sour cream and onion jerky and spicy dill pickle beef sticks.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jerky
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Unlike conventional controllers, which produce distracting noise and jerky motion, ours enables slow, stable, and human-speed walking—even on stairs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 May 2025
Mine-Cart Madness really is that jerky, definitely look out for your back and neck.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 22 May 2025
Jack Links Sour Cream and Onion Jerky, Hot Dill Pickle Beef Sticks
Coming January to most major grocery stores
Next year, jerky titan Jack Links is set to unveil a handful of new meat snacks including sour cream and onion jerky and spicy dill pickle beef sticks.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jerky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerky
Adjective
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After their rough start to SEC play, the Razorbacks finished with an 8-10 conference record, good enough to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.—
Michael Harley,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Despite its rough appearance, the system helped operators better judge distance and handle tasks more precisely.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And when Sam cooks up a truly stupid scheme to make some quick cash, there’s little doubt a heavy like Mickey isn’t going to like it.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
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There's a fine line between stupid and clever, indeed.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Conventional cooling systems often rely on cold plates that offer indirect contact with battery cells, which can result in uneven temperature distribution.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Polishing and setting diamonds on uneven surfaces is a rare skill and Chopard does it all in-house.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mea Culpa is Perry at his most knowingly silly, and a throwback to erotic thrillers of decades past.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
-
For every community of mass-shooter fandoms, there is another that is silly, joyous, productive, or totally harmless.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His vision involves creating distinct Nissan vehicles that can be easily adapted regionally—a strategy to restore the brand's unique identity in an increasingly crowded marketplace and guide the organization through choppy waters.—
Sarwant Singh,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The look bore a similar resemblance to her 1990s runway style, which almost always included choppy, short — and sometimes spiky — layers no longer than her ears.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But giving someone as historically great as Derrick Henry added motivation, certainly may prove to be a foolish decision from Delpit.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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There’s highly capable support in the cast from the unfailingly superb Vázquez, emanating gravitas, humanity and barely contained anger at the increasing frequency and spread of wildfires and the foolish refusal of those in power to address the growing threat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Malik Heath’s insane toe-tap grab on the sideline, which was reversed after video replay review, was a massive 37-yard swing for the Packers during the drive.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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None of their other work, arguably, has had the seismic impact or inspires the same insane quotability as This Is Spinal Tap.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Awards are both mad and lovely.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
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And of course, mad love and respect to Adam Yauch, Oscilloscope’s co-founder, filmmaker and Beastie Boy forever.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerky. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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