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jerkily

jerkily

1 5.2
With sudden, uneven movements that are not smooth
  • adverb
  • /ˈdʒɜrkɪli/
translation icon : bruscamente
  • Our company assembled jerkily, as our bodies followed trained motions despite our souls' confusion.
  • move jerkily
  • nod jerkily
  • head moved jerkily

Examples

  • Then a boy, his metal braces on both legs clanging, moved jerkily toward me.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Art braced himself as the elevator doors opened slowly, jerkily, in the low-gear manner of elevator doors in the Third World.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The board moved jerkily, stopped, and then began slowly to move to the letters.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The bat would fly jerkily, as if knocked to one side.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Jason punched 2, and the elevator cage rose a bit jerkily.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Then she let go of my arm and walked back toward the house, one arm swinging jerkily and the other folded across her stomach.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Peter and I watched as he strode along the driveway, arms pumping jerkily, like a cartoon soldier.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I saw her foot lift from the accelerator pedal, and the car eased away from me, jerkily, taking a turn too wide.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The rain made a drumming noise as it rushed along the gutter pipes and then splashed jerkily onto the brick sidewalk below.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The dog moved jerkily, struggling to regain its balance after slipping on the wet floor.

Synonyms

unsteadily
vsjerkily
7 3.9

In a way that is not steady or balanced

emphasizes abruptness and uneven stops rather than general instability
spasmodically
vsjerkily
1 8.6

Happens at irregular times in short, sudden bursts

refers to abrupt uneven movement rather than intermittent timing
jerkingly
vsjerkily
7.9

In sudden, quick movements that make things start and stop

is about uneven motion in general rather than only sharp snaps
lurchingly
vsjerkily
8.9

With sudden, unsteady movements that make you lose balance

focuses on general unevenness rather than on rolling instability
choppily
vsjerkily
6.4

To move or sound in short sudden ways that are not smooth

stresses abruptness of movement rather than interruption or flow issues
bumpily
vsjerkily
4.9

In a not smooth way that makes movement uneven

highlights abrupt uneven motion rather than surface caused roughness
angularly
vsjerkily
7.0

In a stiff, jerky way with sudden, clumsy movements

is broader, pointing to sudden unevenness not only stiffness
joltingly
vsjerkily
7.8

In a sudden, rough way that shocks or surprises

is about uneven mechanical movement rather than surprise or shock
twitchily
vsjerkily
7.0

In a nervous way with small quick movements

describes abrupt physical motion without implying nervousness
jumpily
vsjerkily
7.2

In a nervous, easily startled way with sudden jerks

focuses on abrupt uneven movement without the emotional startle aspect

Antonyms

173 2.3

In an easy, calm way without problems or embarrassment

How Jerky

convulsively
2 8.1
jerkily
1 5.2
unevenly
8 3.5
smoothly
173 2.3

Surface Forms

jerkily positive

Morphology

jerkily = jerky (transparent) = jerk + y + ly

Derived from 'jerky' (formed from 'jerk' + '-y') with the regular adverbial suffix '-ly' (spelling change y→i), so the meaning is directly predictable from the base.

Etymology

Jerkily comes from the verb jerk, which means 'a sudden, sharp pull or movement'. So something that moves jerkily moves in quick, uneven jumps rather than smoothly.