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Pronunciation varies by accent · adjective
(informal) Exhibiting or characteristic of a rash or automatic response..
Could you please resolve to control your knee-jerky impulse to give every Tom, Dick, and Harry (Kupfer?) a standing ovation?
Despite possessing a libertarian streak that's widening over time, Buzz doesn't get all knee-jerky in opposing new government regulation, even when politicians start messing with the Internet.
Yet when Carol called, my immediate reaction — “How sad” or words to that effect — was so inappropriate, so knee-jerky, that I'm embarrassed to report it.
Use knee-jerky when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Knee-jerky means (informal) Exhibiting or characteristic of a rash or automatic response..
Common synonyms include knee-jerkish.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Could you please resolve to control your knee-jerky impulse to give every Tom, Dick, and Harry (Kupfer?) a standing ovation?
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