strike a chord

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English

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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strike a chord (third-person singular simple present strikes a chord, present participle striking a chord, simple past and past participle struck a chord)

  1. (idiomatic) To elicit a significant reaction, especially one which is favorable or sympathetic.
    • 1997 September 13, Geoffrey Norris, “Holy minimalist who touched a chord”, in Telegraph, UK, retrieved 27 September 2015:
      [T]his brand of ecstatic meditation, shared by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, has struck a chord with record-buyers, and works such as "The Protecting Veil" (1989) for cello and strings have achieved cult status and huge sales on disc.
    • 2011 June 19, Harold Heckle, “Spaniards march to protest high unemployment, political leadership”, in The Star, Canada, retrieved 27 September 2015:
      Protests began May 15 and spread to cities across the country, striking a chord with hundreds of thousands fed-up with the wage cuts and tax hikes.
    • 2015 June 15, Collin Binkley, “Pet Photo Series Aims to Counter 'Black Dog' Theory”, in www.msn.com, retrieved 27 September 2015:
      The photos struck a chord online and quickly went viral.
  2. (idiomatic) To convey a feeling or meaning which someone personally internalizes and takes to heart.

Synonyms

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  • (elicit a reaction, especially a favorable or sympathetic one): touch a chord
  • (convey feeling or meaning which one internalizes): hit home

Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of elicit a reaction, especially a favorable or sympathetic one): touch a nerve

Translations

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Further reading

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