knee-jerk reaction
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.
The knee-jerk reaction is to avoid the stock after such a steep selloff.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
So the recent woes of the sector are just a knee-jerk reaction to seeing a handful of cockroaches lurking around in the home.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 6, 2025
An employment tribunal found Police Scotland directly discriminated against the pair because of their sex and the decision to withdraw their firearms "amounted to a knee-jerk reaction in response to adverse media coverage".
From BBC • Sep. 2, 2025
"It was this stupid knee-jerk reaction to dig deeper and keep lying," Erin told the court.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025
They didn’t just have a knee-jerk reaction to immediately respond to the text.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
