knee-jerk

See also: kneejerk and knee jerk

English

Alternative forms

• kneejerk, knee jerk

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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

1. 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

• knee-jerkish
• knee-jerkishly
• knee-jerkism
• knee-jerky

Translations

reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner

Dutch: voorspelbaar (nl) Finnish: refleksinomainen vastaus, selkäydin- (fi) (such as selkäydinreaktio) French: prévisible (fr) German: reflexartig, vorhersehbar (de), automatisch (de) Icelandic: ósjálfráður (is) m Norwegian: forventet or forutsigelig or forutsigbar spontanreaksjon m Spanish: impulsivo (es), visceral (es)

Noun

knee-jerk (plural knee-jerks)

1. 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

• kneejerk reflex
• patellar reflex

Translations

reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee

Finnish: patellaarirefleksi, polviheijaste German: Kniereflex m, Kniesehnenreflex m, Patellarreflex m, Patellarsehnenreflex m, Kniephänomen n Icelandic: hnéviðbragð n, hnékippur m Norwegian: knerefleks m, patellarefleks m Spanish: reflejo rotuliano m