touch/strike/hit a raw nerve

idiom

: to hurt or upset a person or people
The article touched/struck/hit a raw nerve.

Examples of touch/strike/hit a raw nerve in a Sentence

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The issue has hit a raw nerve when many people are feeling a sense of insecurity from China’s real estate downturn and sputtering consumer economy. Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025 And given that my mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor, that potential truth, whether conclusive or not, hit a raw nerve. Chioma Nnadi, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2025

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“Touch/strike/hit a raw nerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touch%2Fstrike%2Fhit%20a%20raw%20nerve. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

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