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
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The lynchpin to it all is recognizing that 69% of gross domestic product, a rough though imperfect measure of the economy, is consumer spending.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The hilarious ensemble comedy plays out during a dinner party between a couple who are going through a rough patch and their upstairs neighbors, who turn out to be swingers.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While Beijing has rolled out trade-in subsidies to spur sales of cars and appliances, the rebound in spending has been uneven.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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More clients mean uneven cash timing.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Four figures, two men and two women, walk around a yard with quick, jerky steps.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
20 Dec. 2025
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Instead, think about it more like a slow dance—no jerky movements, no wrapping the fabric around your hand, no scrubbing.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The style — characterized by short, choppy layers — was a far cry from her signature blunt cut and middle part.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
27 Jan. 2026
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In addition, chip system designs, known as architectures, link many chips with fast, common networking to let large models run without lagging or choppy output.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Cacao 2-pack Phone Lanyard Dropping your phone on a crowded street or a bumpy ride is a travel nightmare.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Jan. 2026
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The veteran right-hander had missed most of the prior year due to elbow surgery, and after a bumpy three-year run as a starter Whitlock was set to return to the bullpen full-time.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herky-jerky. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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