knee jerk

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Everyone recognizes there is a growing antibiotic resistance crisis, and the knee jerk reaction is to develop new antibiotics," You added.

From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2024

“A sensible conversation is needed when balancing community safety with personal liberty. This is not a time for knee jerk responses,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2023

But a former cabinet minister - strongly opposed to withdrawal - described the idea as "knee jerk nonsense".

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2023

The sell-off was a "knee jerk reaction to an outcome that took a lot of people by surprise," Lotfi Karoui, chief credit strategist at Goldman Sachs, told Reuters.

From Reuters • Mar. 20, 2023

Anxious attention to the knee jerk inhibits it; gritting the teeth or clenching the fist reinforces it.

From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Woodworth, Robert S.