Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

knee-jerk

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.83 in modern English

Syllables: knee--jerk
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable.

noun

A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap).

Example Sentences

"He gave a knee-jerk response."
"There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed."
"The knee-jerk reaction is further evidence of just how panicked investors are about the stability of the global financial system after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week."

Etymology

From knee + jerk, First attested c. 1876, and derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.

Inflected Forms

more knee-jerk (comparative) most knee-jerk (superlative) kneejerk (alternative) knee jerk (alternative) knee-jerks (plural)

Phrases

knee-jerkish knee-jerkishly knee-jerkism knee-jerk reaction knee-jerky

Synonyms

kneejerk reflex patellar reflex

Questions

What does knee-jerk mean?: Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable.
Where does knee-jerk come from?: From knee + jerk, First attested c. 1876, and derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.

How to pronounce knee-jerk

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