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Glite Dictionary
visceral impact

visceral impact

7.3
A strong physical feeling of deep emotion that art or events cause
  • noun
  • /ˈvɪsərəl ˈɪmpækt/
translation icon : impacto visceral
  • He described the visceral impact of the scene, which made him feel a mix of joy and sadness.

Examples

  • You felt the visceral impact of being distrusted when you and your family were on food stamps?

  • This painting has a visceral impact that leaves the audience in deep reflection.

  • The documentary was so moving that it had a visceral impact on everyone who watched it.

Synonyms

gut reaction
vsvisceral impact
8 4.3

A strong first feeling you have without thinking

is a strong emotional effect that may be less immediate and more felt
deep resonance
vsvisceral impact
7.2

A strong emotional effect that something like music or words has on people

is a strong emotional effect that often feels more immediate and physical

Antonyms

intellectualism
3 7.4

A belief that thinking, reason, and knowledge are most important

How Emotional

visceral impact
7.3
impact
∞ 3.1
impression
777 3.1
effect
∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

visceral impact singular
visceral impacts plural

Morphology

visceral + impact

The meaning 'a strong emotional or instinctive effect' is directly derivable from combining 'visceral' (instinctive, gut-level) with 'impact' (effect or influence). This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a learner who knows both constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Visceral impact comes from the image of a feeling in your belly: visceral comes from a word for the body's 'guts' and impact means a strong 'hit'. So, it describes something that 'hits' you deep inside and causes a strong emotional or gut reaction.