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
Yet like Britney’s album, Swag turned out to be a brilliant gimme-more career peak that hit a nerve with the audience, both culturally and creatively.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
Scott Laramie – Step-father of Madison Mogen Laramie’s voice, though quieter, hit a nerve, Baden said.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 July 2025
That moment hit a nerve for her, as her mother-in-law rarely speaks to her directly about other family gatherings.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 24 July 2025
The pool of marketers that feel comfortable with news can be limited, particularly as marketers seek to stay away from programming that can strike a nerve with a polarized American audience.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit/strike/touch a nerve
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Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
Scott Laramie – Step-father of Madison Mogen Laramie’s voice, though quieter, hit a nerve, Baden said.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 July 2025
That moment hit a nerve for her, as her mother-in-law rarely speaks to her directly about other family gatherings.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 24 July 2025
The pool of marketers that feel comfortable with news can be limited, particularly as marketers seek to stay away from programming that can strike a nerve with a polarized American audience.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit/strike/touch a nerve
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 7 Aug. 2025.
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