strike a chord
Deeply move someone
To strike a chord is to evoke recognition or emotional resonance—to touch something familiar or meaningful in someone: Her speech about loss struck a chord with the audience.
The metaphor comes from music, where striking the right chord produces harmony.
Something that strikes a chord connects because it aligns with the listener's own experiences or feelings.
Connect or recount
- resonateVibrate or echo deeply
- identifyEstablish who or what
- understandGrasp the meaning
- recognizePerceive as known
familiarity · common ground · shared experience · kinship · affinity · rapport · recognition · relatability
Pleasing sequence of notes
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- noteShort written record
- tuneMusical sequence of notes
- riffRepeated musical phrase
resonance · vibration · pitch · tone · strum · pluck · guitar · piano
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- empathySharing another's emotions
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- poignancyPiercing emotional quality
- touchingEvoking gentle emotion
stirring · heartfelt · moved · evocative · pathos · sentiment · affinity · kinship
Having great strength
- profoundIntensely meaningful or insightful
- compellingPowerfully engaging or persuasive
- arrestingStrikingly attention-grabbing
- memorableWorth holding onto
lasting · significant · meaningful · effective · persuasive · moving · poignant · unforgettable
relate
Connect or recount
- resonateVibrate or echo deeply
- identifyEstablish who or what
- understandGrasp the meaning
recognize · familiarity · common ground · shared experience · kinship · affinity · rapport · recognition · relatability · empathy
melody
Pleasing sequence of notes
riff · resonance · vibration · pitch · tone · strum · pluck · guitar · piano · strings
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
touching · stirring · heartfelt · moved · evocative · pathos · sentiment · affinity · kinship · rapport
powerful
Having great strength
- profoundIntensely meaningful or insightful
- compellingPowerfully engaging or persuasive
- arrestingStrikingly attention-grabbing
memorable · lasting · significant · meaningful · effective · persuasive · moving · poignant · unforgettable · gripping
pertinent
Directly related to something
- applicableAble to be used
- relatableEasy to identify with
- germaneRelated to the topic
relevant · timely · topical · fitting · appropriate · apt · salient · current · resonant · universal
- music expressionsmusic to my ears, in tune, out of tune, play it by ear, call the tune
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- mindfulnessmindfulness, meditation, meditate, breathe, breath
strike a chordleave someone cold
Fail to affect emotionally
fall flat · miss the mark · ring hollow · bounce off · fall on deaf ears
strike, striking, struck, chord, strikes, chords, stricken, strikeout, chorded