: characterized by sudden, irregular, or unpredictable movement or style

Examples of herky-jerky in a Sentence

filmed in a herky-jerky style that will give many moviegoers a headache
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Late in a herky-jerky first half, the backup guard’s emphatic drive and dunk helped cut into Penn State’s lead. Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2025 Just in time for a herky-jerky square between your celestial ruler, Mercury, and rebellious Uranus on Feb. 10, expect unexpected tensions to rise in your personal and professional relationships as you are being called to create a healthy balance between both. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 Feb. 2025 Watching Eddie Redmayne do his herky-jerky dance, reaching out to the camera like a William Castle 3-D movie. Vulture Editors, Vulture, 17 June 2024 Hong Kong martial arts cinema legend Sammo Hung brought jiangshi to the screen with 1980’s Encounters of the Spooky Kind, a silly kung fu horror-comedy that features a hilarious set piece as Hung comically evades a hopping corpse’s herky-jerky attacks. James Grebey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024 There’s a lot of herky-jerky stopping and starting, but when Jenn gets behind the wheel, things are relatively smooth. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 23 July 2024 The herky-jerky, on-and-off annual decision-making stops us from spending money efficiently in the way that the taxpayer expects. Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2015 Experts agree mid-drive bikes typically deliver a less herky-jerky ride, because the motor assist is integrated into the pedal crank itself. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024 While there are some harder throwers in the system, the Rangers have been impressed by the 25-year old’s fastball-slider combination, a herky-jerky delivery and a fastball that appears to be on a jet stream moving up to the batter’s eyes. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 31 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

reduplication of jerky

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of herky-jerky was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near herky-jerky

Cite this Entry

“Herky-jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herky-jerky. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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