knee-jerk reaction
An instantaneous reaction made without thought.
Near-synonym: gut reaction
knee-jerk
adj 1noun 1
Collocations
4VERB + KNEE-JERK
gave
KNEE-JERK + NOUN
reaction, response
PREP.
from
ADV.
further
Definitions
adj
1
Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable.
He gave a knee-jerk response.
There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed.
noun
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).
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
401
He gave a knee-jerk response.
Wiktionary02
There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed.
Wiktionary03
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.
Wiktionary04
His knee-jerk reaction was to raise his voice at his child.
Tatoeba · #8985196Usage Notes
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