jerky

adjective

ˈjər-kē How to pronounce jerky (audio)
Definition of jerkynext
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

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.
Recent Examples of jerky Pair with a smorgasbord that includes sharp cheeses, jerky and fresh vegetables—cauliflower and broccoli. — Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025 Since many thefts can be violent or involve sudden, jerky movements, Guo sought ad vice from Google’s Activity Recognition team, which worked on a somewhat similar feature available on Pixel smartphones for car crash detection. — Reece Rogers, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2025 The video was mostly crisp, but movement was sometimes a bit jerky, and fast-moving subjects can get blurry. — Simon Hill, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025 The additional villains distract from what seems to be a meditation on masculinity, and the special effects are jerky and ludicrous, like a fistfight between Kraven and The Rhino — somehow still wearing pants — that prompted some laughter at a recent screening. — Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 13 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for jerky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerky
  1. rough
  2. stupid
  3. uneven
  4. silly
  5. choppy
  6. foolish
  7. absurd
  8. crazy
Adjective
  • If history provides any clues, the U.S. soybean farmers are in for a rough year.
    — Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • This is his first-person account of how a rough start after high school eventually led to a job at The Star and a redemptive moment while on assignment.
    — Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Amelia soon decides that stupid boys (and humans in general) aren't worth keeping around.
    — Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Sharing war plans outside U.S. government systems is the kind of offense that is almost too stupid to commit.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of stupid
Adjective
  • But also undeniable is the Heat receiving tangible depth from the Plan B trade with Butler, depth that arguably had previously been lacking amid the uneven seasons of Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr., as well as depth compromised by the broken hand of Nikola Jovic.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2025
  • After running out of steam with the uneven 1992 sister albums Lucky Town and Human Touch, Springsteen spent most of the decade raising his kids and tentatively circling a reunion with the E Street Band while searching for new directions.
    — Ryan Leas, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of uneven
Adjective
  • This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.
    — Art Spiegelman, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Believing in any conspiracy theory, even one that seems as inoffensive or silly as the flat Earth theory, can set a person up to fall into larger conspiracy theories, Dashtgard says, like the idea that feminism is a global conspiracy meant to drag men down.
    — Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • Corrin’s hair was styled with a few choppy wisps by Patrick Wilson to frame their face.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • My background is so much in bluegrass, and bluegrass is all about that choppy kind of backbeat thing with the mandolin.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of choppy
Adjective
  • My big mistake was in not challenging from the stage the foolish few who booed.
    — Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 31 Mar. 2025
  • While tailback isn’t a need, only foolish franchises pass up the opportunity to add generational talents like Jeanty.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of foolish
Adjective
  • This whole exercise of proving the absence of antisemitism as a prerequisite to criticizing Israeli government policy is absurd.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Still, the sexist double standards around pockets have continued to be present in absurd ways.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • Tauruses will go crazy for something chic, functional, and soft to the touch.
    — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2023
  • Before getting into the chaos of episode 5, that episode 4 cliff hanger was crazy.
    — Calie Schepp, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2023
Definition of crazy

Browse Nearby Words

jerkwater
jerky
jerry-build
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerky. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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