knee-jerk

Definition

Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

• "He gave a knee-jerk response."
• "There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed."
• "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."