hit different

English

Etymology

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

Audio (US): (file)

Verb

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

Chiefly used in the simple present tense ("hit different", "hits different").

Related terms

built different

References

^ “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."”

[1] “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."”

[1]