reopen old wounds
idiom
: 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
While some may find solace in the end, for many – even those who support the execution – the intervening years of appeals and uncertainty often reopen old wounds.
—
Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
Events in both works are instigated by a reunion and propelled by family feuds that reopen old wounds.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
If emotions start to run high again, take a step back and remind yourselves of the goal—to connect and heal, not to reopen old wounds.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
Comforted by her two cats — who are also tattooed on her arm, hugging — two guinea pigs, and two chinchillas, plus an attorney and a longtime friend, Hill-Johnson begins to reopen old wounds and lay bare some of Mack’s faults and missteps.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
Might not such retrospection reopen old wounds and revive old, murderous struggles?
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
Suzanne Hurt, a communications specialist for the city, declined to comment, citing concerns that doing so could reopen old wounds.
—Will Lanzoni, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2023
Conservatives, in particular, have argued that exhumations would only reopen old wounds.
—Constant Méheut Samuel Aranda, New York Times, 18 July 2023
Is the issue really what these people did, though, or did the incident somehow reopen old wounds?
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 4 July 2021
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Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
Events in both works are instigated by a reunion and propelled by family feuds that reopen old wounds.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
If emotions start to run high again, take a step back and remind yourselves of the goal—to connect and heal, not to reopen old wounds.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
Comforted by her two cats — who are also tattooed on her arm, hugging — two guinea pigs, and two chinchillas, plus an attorney and a longtime friend, Hill-Johnson begins to reopen old wounds and lay bare some of Mack’s faults and missteps.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
Might not such retrospection reopen old wounds and revive old, murderous struggles?
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
Suzanne Hurt, a communications specialist for the city, declined to comment, citing concerns that doing so could reopen old wounds.
—Will Lanzoni, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2023
Conservatives, in particular, have argued that exhumations would only reopen old wounds.
—Constant Méheut Samuel Aranda, New York Times, 18 July 2023
Is the issue really what these people did, though, or did the incident somehow reopen old wounds?
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 4 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Reopen old wounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reopen%20old%20wounds. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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