: characterized by sudden, irregular, or unpredictable movement or style

Examples of herky-jerky in a Sentence

filmed in a herky-jerky style that will give many moviegoers a headache
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 On Sushi, vivid splashes of R&B sleekness coexist with rap interludes, herky-jerky dance rhythms, and even a bit of jazzy trumpeting. EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025 His smooth, yet herky-jerky style has had defenses guessing and gasping all season. Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 11 June 2025 That’s a bit surprising given his herky-jerky, all-joints-flying-at-you, cross-firing delivery. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025 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

Word History

Etymology

reduplication of jerky

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of herky-jerky was in 1890

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herky-jerky. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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