knee-jerk

adjective

ˈnē-ˌjərk How to pronounce knee-jerk (audio)
Definition of knee-jerknext
as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision a colleague known for her knee-jerk rejection of any proposal that she didn't originate

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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 knee-jerk Season openers often produce outlier performances and knee-jerk overreactions that look like complete mirages by the end of the year. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026 My knee-jerk is to recoil from anything that brings AI close to Baldwin’s work. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026 Even then, a dubious penalty and lax marking at a throw were the difference and subs may have felt like a knee-jerk reaction. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Business leaders should avoid knee-jerk responses to threatened boycotts or allow chatter on social media to dictate their actions. — Edward Segal, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for knee-jerk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knee-jerk
  1. automatic
  2. reflex
  3. mechanical
  4. spontaneous
  5. instinctive
  6. robotic
  7. sudden
  8. mechanic
Adjective
  • Some robo-advisors offer more customization and features, such as tax-loss harvesting, which uses losses to offset other portfolio gains, or automatic rebalancing.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • And not all of the proofs were certified as correct by the automatic logic verification platform Lean—in fact, some have already been retracted after outside scientists found mistakes.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of automatic
Adjective
  • The reflex sell-off after Wednesday's Federal Reserve rate hike gave the S&P 500 a momentary test of 7500, which proved a timely shakeout.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Padmini smiled, though this appeared more reflex than friendliness.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of reflex
Adjective
  • Passes do not include pumpkins or entry to mechanical activities such as the bull ride.
    — Hali Smith October 8, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2026
  • He is saved by an enigmatic young mechanic who equips him with a custom mechanical arm.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of mechanical
Adjective
  • Occasional moments of real, spontaneous joy emerge, and others reveal the crushing emptiness of lives going nowhere, but the script doesn’t lean too hard in either direction.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The charismatic and spontaneous Tammy Faye earned a reputation for speaking her mind, sometimes in off-color ways, that brought her legions of fans.
    — John Wigger, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of spontaneous
Adjective
  • Mobile messaging relies on push notifications, driving rapid, instinctive responses before an employee’s critical thinking kicks in.
    — Firas Azmeh, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Those decisions have to become instinctive, and that familiarity is still coming.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of instinctive
Adjective
  • At the University of Tokyo, researchers have even grown living human skin over robotic digits to wrinkle naturally and mend wounds with collagen.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The moon is a historical landmark — a celestial body continually peppered with robotic landers shot from our home planet, as well as human footprints planted there by a dozen visiting moonwalkers from 1969 to 1972.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of robotic
Adjective
  • There’s a fascinating synchronicity between the current real-world anxiety and the film industry’s sudden interest in dense studies of the tech world’s dark underbelly.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Other symptoms include sudden high fever and chills, headaches, and pain in the abdomen, legs and arms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sudden
Adjective
  • Parched fields force hydroponic growers, vegetable farmers and fruit producers to halt harvests, sell off underfed livestock at rock-bottom prices and even return to mechanic jobs to survive.
    — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • There are exceptions and one is Hig (Elordi), who before the virus hit was a mechanic living a good life with his pregnant wife and new puppy.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mechanic

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Cite this Entry

“Knee-jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knee-jerk. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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