hit/strike/touch a nerve
idiom
: to make someone feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc.
Something she said to him must have hit/struck/touched a nerve. I've never seen him so angry.
His controversial column might have hit a (raw/sensitive) nerve with some readers.
Examples of hit/strike/touch a nerve in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tapestry became a whole new kind of pop blockbuster, a confessional statement that hit a nerve with fans, staying on the charts year after year.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2024
But his act of dissent hit a nerve among his countrymen.
—Han Zhang, The New Yorker, 11 June 2024
But maybe that speaks to the fact that he’s hit a nerve, with pictures that evoke the comical, nonsensical, random cruelty of modern life.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 May 2024
His disgust with fictionality hit a nerve among American writers.
—John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 14 Mar. 2010
See all Example Sentences for hit/strike/touch a nerve 
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2024
But his act of dissent hit a nerve among his countrymen.
—Han Zhang, The New Yorker, 11 June 2024
But maybe that speaks to the fact that he’s hit a nerve, with pictures that evoke the comical, nonsensical, random cruelty of modern life.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 May 2024
His disgust with fictionality hit a nerve among American writers.
—John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 14 Mar. 2010
See all Example Sentences for hit/strike/touch a nerve
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit/strike/touch a nerve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Hit/strike/touch a nerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%2Fstrike%2Ftouch%20a%20nerve. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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