knee-jerk

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“
It is such an obvious, propaganda based, lie, a lie that has become a knee-jerk reaction from Israel. bombed a UN building where civilians had taken refuge at Qana in south Lebanon, killing 102 persons; in the place where Jesus is said to have made water into wine, Israeli bombs made children into blood.

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Definitions (3)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. adjective Slang Easily predictable; automatic: "quick, easy laughs and knee-jerk responses” (New York).
  2. adjective Slang Reacting spontaneously in the expected manner: a knee-jerk cynic.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Keim continues, "His words set off an avalanche of speculation, ranging from knee-jerk skepticism â€"'' Hormone imbalance '? —  MacDailyNews
  • In order to progress and mature as a politically relevant community, Muslims must resist one-dimensional knee-jerk reactions to issues that are actually multi-faceted in nature. —  altmuslim
  • Futures took a knee-jerk reaction higher after the jobs data came in close to expectations. —  MarketWatch.com - Top Stories
  • My response was a knee-jerk emotional response to the tone of the article and the comments. —  Original Signal - Transmitting Buzz
  • The euro's gain yesterday was a "knee-jerk reaction," and the common currency may drop to $1.23 and 87 pence in six months, according to Stretch. —  Top Stories - Google News
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