hit different
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From the sense of hit (“to affect someone, as if dealing a blow to that person”) + different, suggesting that something affects someone in a particularly unique way.[1]
Pronunciation
[edit]Verb
[edit]hit different (third-person singular simple present hits different, present participle hitting different, simple past and past participle hit different)
- (slang, intransitive) To affect someone in a profound (usually positive) way; to have a strong effect on one's emotions or mental state.
- I don't mind pop, but 70s music just hits different.
- 2019 October 10, Katie Way, “TV Depictions of Mental Illness Are on the Rise. HBO Wants to Give Context”, in VICE[2], archived from the original on 2022-12-06:
- But one element of the show that really, as the kids say, "hits different" is its (relatively) true-to-life portrayals of what it's like to struggle with mental health issues like addiction, depression, and emotional abuse.
- 2020 March 3, Gene Park, “Best gaming console ever: Nintendo Switch reigns 3 years after debut”, in The Washington Post[3], archived from the original on 2020-03-04:
- That soothing old pop of zombie heads from Resident Evil 4 hits different when you're lying in bed.
- 2020 July 31, Timi Sotire, quoting IAMDDB, “IAMDDB's fantasy festival: 'Rihanna's got to be there – she's a buff ting!'”, in The Guardian[4], archived from the original on 2022-12-16:
- I don't know what it is about the connection that you have with the instrumentation of the music at DJ sets, it just hits different.
- 2021 February 17, Jenna Wortham, “The Rise of the Wellness App”, in The New York Times[5], archived from the original on 2023-01-07:
- Pandemic fatigue hits different. You know the feeling: You've been online all day, bouncing between video calls with colleagues and FaceTimes with family, maybe pausing for a quick vinyasa flow. Your eyeballs feel glassy, your brain parched and limbs sluggish.
Usage notes
[edit]- Chiefly used in the simple present tense ("hit different", "hits different").
Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ “Do You Know What These Gen Z Slang Terms Mean—And Where They Really Come From?”, in Dictionary.com[1], 2022 January 28, archived from the original on 2024-04-07: “Sometimes something is so awesome that it impacts you or inspires you on a whole new level. The proper Gen Z term for this is hits different. In this sense, hit means "to have a marked effect or influence on; affect severely."”
