reopen old wounds

phrase

: to cause people to think of things from the past that make them sad, angry, etc.

Telling that story will only reopen old wounds.

Examples of reopen old wounds in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many have responded to Swan Song negatively, with RadarOnline previously reporting that some royal observers are upset that Spencer is looking to reopen old wounds while Charles is battling cancer. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026

The film unfolds across intimate Brooklyn spaces — apartments that feel borrowed, late-night conversations that blur into morning, chance encounters that reopen old wounds — as Roger navigates his lingering bond with his ex (Nicole Beharie) and a tentative new connection (DeWanda Wise). — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 30 Dec. 2025

These sorts of questions can reopen old wounds and quickly become confrontational and uncomfortable. — Angela Haupt, Time, 23 Dec. 2025

Forty years later, the brothers finally re-unite, back on Scottish soil, to reopen old wounds and reconcile with their shared past. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for reopen old wounds

• abounds
• backgrounds
• campgrounds
• confounds
• expounds
• fairgrounds
• foregrounds
• foxhounds
• greyhounds
• playgrounds
• propounds
• rebounds