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
Hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky, particularly for players such as Dončić, whose games rely on herky-jerky changes of speed and direction.
—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2026
The single thread throughout this herky-jerky tale is, oddly enough, the novels of Charles Dickens, taught by James’ grandfather, absorbed by James and quoted endlessly by Irving.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
15 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
Law Murray,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2026
The single thread throughout this herky-jerky tale is, oddly enough, the novels of Charles Dickens, taught by James’ grandfather, absorbed by James and quoted endlessly by Irving.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
15 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herky-jerky
Adjective
-
After a couple of rough shooting nights against Minnesota and Las Vegas, the Valkyries found their groove.
-
Salicylic acid works deep within pores to tackle buildup, while lactic acid smooths rough texture and refines skin’s surface, leaving skin looking clearer and feeling smoother in just a few swipes.
Adjective
-
If visible pores or uneven texture is a concern for you at all, this primer is the ultimate solution.
-
As with that earlier boom-and-bust cycle, the AI landscape is likely to yield uneven outcomes, according to Qian Wang, global head of capital market research at Vanguard, and senior global economist Kevin Khang.
Adjective
-
That is always tricky, but Ojai was especially jerky.
Adjective
-
The choppy trading comes as investors look ahead to key events for the macroeconomic and geopolitical backdrop.
-
So the editing here gets much, much choppier.
Adjective
-
For a devout convert to Catholicism, Vance has a bumpy history with the Vatican.
-
And aside from the bumpy start, Arrowhead has handled the world soundly.
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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