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knee-jerk. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
knee-jerk, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
knee-jerk in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
From knee + jerk, First attested 1876, derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.
Pronunciation
Adjective
knee-jerk (comparative more knee-jerk, superlative most knee-jerk)
- Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable.
He gave a knee-jerk response.
2022 March 23, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Drains, trains and Control”, in RAIL, number 953, page 3:There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed.
2023 March 15, Michael J. de la Merced, Maureen Farrell, “Credit Suisse to Borrow Up to $54 Billion From Central Bank”, in The New York Times: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.
Derived terms
Translations
reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner
Noun
knee-jerk (plural knee-jerks)
- A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap).
Synonyms
Translations
reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee