1
as in rough
marked by a series of sharp quick motions
made jerky progress walking with the new crutches
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stupid
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
he's acting jerky just to get people's attention
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerky
Powe still comes by once a week to drop off snacks for kids in the hotel — chips, cookies, jerky, fruit snacks, Little Debbie’s, whatever is on sale — shelling out about $100 or more of her own money every week doing so.
—
Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
An in-room menu from Ollie, which includes jerky treats and doggo ice cream (from Ollie’s collaboration with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream).
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 July 2025
The 24-time major champion was unusually jerky in his movements.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Unlike conventional controllers, which produce distracting noise and jerky motion, ours enables slow, stable, and human-speed walking—even on stairs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jerky
Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
An in-room menu from Ollie, which includes jerky treats and doggo ice cream (from Ollie’s collaboration with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream).
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 July 2025
The 24-time major champion was unusually jerky in his movements.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Unlike conventional controllers, which produce distracting noise and jerky motion, ours enables slow, stable, and human-speed walking—even on stairs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jerky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerky
Adjective
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Other government notices mentioned the size and rough location of the construction.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Yams tend to be white fleshed with a rough, brown exterior.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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What gave me the crazy idea to stand at the bar, listening to that woman being praised for her stupid f---ing commitment to New York City and her ugly f---ing buildings?—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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Her mechanism for luring victims involves a stick, someone’s hair, her blood, and another person stupid enough to let her through their front door.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Trojans' uneven season hasn't exactly helped slow rumors either.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The brazen, silly grandeur of the piece was astounding.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Saturday Night Live alum's vast tattoo collection, at one point made up of around 200 pieces of body art, includes ink dedicated to his former girlfriends, as well as more silly, lighthearted designs.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Year-over-year data doesn’t tell the whole story, the report said, noting a choppy year with mini-surges to get ahead of tariffs, followed by slowdowns, and then often followed by another one-month increase.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
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With her hair tied in a bun in the back of her head, Stewart’s choppy bangs took center stage next to Elle Fanning’s and Renate Reinsve’s pristine slick-backs; the ends falling unevenly on her forehead, with longer strands tickling her ears.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That was questionable, but not egregiously foolish, in our view, because of the limited amount of time left.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
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Another agent pointed to how contractions in post-strike, post-pandemic Hollywood have decimated the theater business, creating new opportunities that Netflix would be foolish to pass up.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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His votes, like his tattoos, just weren’t insane enough anymore.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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His voice messages of songs are amazing and insane.—
Kristin Robinson,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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There's a reasonable chance that your Dem Senator who voted against it and is acting mad now was in on the play.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
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Elizabeth is the budding mad doctor’s fiancee, who’s dismembered under the blades of a rogue lawnmower in the opening scene of the film.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerky. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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