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
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
Cohen's low arm slot and herky-jerky motion deliver a frisbee effect that should have right-handed batters scratching their heads at the major league level.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 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
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
Cohen's low arm slot and herky-jerky motion deliver a frisbee effect that should have right-handed batters scratching their heads at the major league level.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 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
-
Chong would give them a rough idea of his thoughts, which the artists would then use to develop dialogue and other details that expanded on his vision.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
All that human saliva and mucus, absorbed and dried into a rough crust.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Heating elements must survive high temperatures, constant airflow and uneven heat distribution.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
But employer coverage of obesity drugs remains uneven due to high costs, leaving roughly half of people with commercial insurance unable to start or stay on treatment, Lilly said in a release.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
5 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
-
However, after a significant drawdown at the end of January, the commodities haven’t recovered and have been choppy trades.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Lancaster looks choppy offensively, but is trimming the clock and hasn't let up on defense.—
American-Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Miami had a bumpy stretch over its previous dozen games with four one-possession wins and two others that went to overtime.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Expect a bumpy and highly uncertain road ahead.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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