English

Adjective

knee-jerky ‎(comparative more knee-jerky, superlative most knee-jerky)

1. (informal) Exhibiting or characteristic of a rash or automatic response.
   • 1991, Gordon Rogoff, American Theatre, Volume 8, page 224:

     Could you please resolve to control your knee-jerky impulse to give every Tom, Dick, and Harry (Kupfer?) a standing ovation?

   • 2003, Paul McNamara, "Bet on the Internet winning this one", Network World, Volume 20, Number 19, 12 May 2003, page 64:

     Despite possessing a libertarian streak that's widening overtime, Buzz doesn't get all knee-jerky in opposing new government regulation, even when politicians start messing with the Internet.

   • 2006, Carl H. Klaus, Letters to Kate: Life After Life, University of Iowa Press (2006), ISBN 9781587296697, pages 125-126:

     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.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:knee-jerky.

Synonyms

• knee-jerkish