Synonyms of jerks

jerks 1 of 2

noun

plural of jerk

1

as in bastards

a person whose behavior is offensive to others

his constant rudeness and insensitivity made everyone think he was a real jerk

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bastards
• clowns
• dogs
• idiots
• creeps
• morons
• skunks
• jokers
• brutes
• buggers
• scumbags
• boors
• brats
• snakes
• rats
• scums
• bounders
• beasts
• dirtbags
• toads
• swine
• schmucks
• heels
• louses
• rotters
• reptiles
• cads
• vermin
• louts
• villains
• pills
• stinkers
• bleeders
• cretins
• varmints
• fools
• nuisances
• curs
• buzzards
• slimeballs
• sleazeballs
• slimes
• sods
• blighters
• cruds
• sleazebags
• churls
• barbarians
• slobs
• chuffs
• sleazes
• finks
• sons of guns
• stinkards
• nerds
• hounds
• scuzzballs
• so-and-sos
• crumbs
• nuts
• savages
• loudmouths
• scoundrels
• vulgarians
• wretches
• rat finks
• lowlifes
• roughnecks
• scabs
• rogues
• imbeciles
• cavemen
• dolts
• dopes
• miscreants
• blockheads
• boobies
• jackasses
• snobs
• rascals
• goons
• ninnies
• scamps
• airheads
• Neanderthals
• snots
• nincompoops
• dorks
• schmoes
• dinks
• doofuses
• dweebs
• nitwits
• turkeys
• snips
• pests
• nits
• half-wits
• insolents
• birdbrains
• snoots

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heroes
• gentlemen
• ladies
• role models
• idols
• heroines
• saints
• angels

2

as in tugs

the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force

guided the rowboat with a jerk of the rope

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tugs
• pulls
• yanks
• wrenches
• hauls
• draws
• plucks
• twitches
• tows
• grabs
• hitches
• snatches
• drags

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pushes
• thrusts
• heaves
• shoves

jerks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of jerk

1

as in yanks

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion

I jerked to one side to avoid getting hit

jerked the leash to get the dog's attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• yanks
• twitches
• lurches
• pulls
• tugs
• shakes
• jolts
• grabs
• hitches
• bucks
• bumps
• hoicks
• tears
• snatches
• drags
• jiggles
• rips
• jogs
• staggers
• plucks
• jounces
• lugs
• joggles
• wrenches
• jigs
• tweaks
• snaps (up)
• pitches
• wrings
• wrests

2

as in twitches

to make jerky or restless movements

you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

• twitches
• fidgets
• tosses
• squirms
• fiddles
• twists
• wiggles
• shakes
• trembles
• shivers
• writhes
• jiggles
• threshes
• wriggles
• thrashes
• quivers
• shudders
• flutters
• jigs
• squiggles
• flits
• quakes
• paces
• twitters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rests
• relaxes
• calms (down)
• unwinds
• stills

3

as in shakes

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements

the car jerked with every shift of the gear

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shakes
• shudders
• vibrates
• quivers
• trembles
• twitches
• shivers
• wobbles
• jolts
• jiggles
• convulses
• judders
• buckets
• sways
• jounces
• joggles
• quakes
• agitates
• swings
• rocks
• waves
• throbs
• flickers
• chatters
• flutters
• thrills
• quavers
• wavers
• dodders
• fluctuates
• pulses
• undulates
• oscillates
• pulsates
• palpitates
• pitter-patters
• beats
• pit-a-pats

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of jerks

Noun

Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026

The Ars OpenForum is a place for readers to ask questions, compare notes, argue (without being jerks to each other), and go down all sorts of rabbit holes. — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

That screwed up the works / And not due to his sloppy hiring / Of a crew of incompetent jerks. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026

Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media. — William Earl, Variety, 10 June 2026

To relitigate the matter on behalf of Musk only served to underline the conviction that all of these jerks deserved one another. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026

Here, witches are real — and so are jerks. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026

This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026

In the new sequel, Grace teams with her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), as they’re hunted by four elite families full of murderous jerks scrambling to become the High Seat of a Council that controls the world. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026

Verb

In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026

Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026

The video suddenly jerks away as the vehicle starts to move and shots can be heard. — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026

The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look. — Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025

Paul goes to shake her hand but jerks it back, then gives her a left-handed handshake. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025