"reopen old wounds" meaning in English

See reopen old wounds in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: reopens old wounds [present, singular, third-person], reopening old wounds [participle, present], reopened old wounds [participle, past], reopened old wounds [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} reopen old wounds (third-person singular simple present reopens old wounds, present participle reopening old wounds, simple past and past participle reopened old wounds)
  1. (idiomatic) To cause the memory of past trauma to be recalled, resulting in renewed suffering. Tags: idiomatic Translations (Translations): renovar la herida (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-reopen_old_wounds-en-verb-GFBXwu2- Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 91 9 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 86 14 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 92 8 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 94 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 92 8 Disambiguation of 'Translations': 100 0
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see reopen, old, wound.
    Sense id: en-reopen_old_wounds-en-verb-c0vKBNCf

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "reopens old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "reopening old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "reopened old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "reopened old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "reopen old wounds (third-person singular simple present reopens old wounds, present participle reopening old wounds, simple past and past participle reopened old wounds)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "91 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "86 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "94 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1994, Edward M. Dew, The trouble in Suriname, 1975-1993, page 202:",
          "text": "When I had completed The Difficult Flowering of Surinam in 1976, Fred Ormskirk, the late NPS historian and radio commentator, suggested I delete a number of the more unpleasant stories in the book, claiming that it was better to let go of the past and not reopen old wounds.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Vicki Lane, Old Wounds, page 93:",
          "text": "Please, believe me—the last thing I want to do is reopen old wounds needlessly, but . . . but if it would finally bring a resolution to the whole mystery—\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015, Domnica Radulescu, Theater of War and Exile, page 68:",
          "text": "We return to the countries that had once hurt and destoryed us in many irreparable ways and from which we once ran for dear life, in order to get hurt again and have our old wounds reopened.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023, Muxe Nkondo, Social Memory as a Force for Social and Economic Transformation:",
          "text": "Sometimes the treatments involved in healing the nation (such as appointing commissions of inquiry) reopen old wounds, therefore measures should be in place to cleanse those sores or stop them from festering.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause the memory of past trauma to be recalled, resulting in renewed suffering."
      ],
      "id": "en-reopen_old_wounds-en-verb-GFBXwu2-",
      "links": [
        [
          "cause",
          "cause"
        ],
        [
          "memory",
          "memory"
        ],
        [
          "past",
          "past"
        ],
        [
          "trauma",
          "trauma"
        ],
        [
          "recall",
          "recall"
        ],
        [
          "renew",
          "renew"
        ],
        [
          "suffering",
          "suffering"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To cause the memory of past trauma to be recalled, resulting in renewed suffering."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "renovar la herida"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1998, Samuel Lilienthal, Homoeopathic Therapeutics, page 941:",
          "text": "Old wounds and ulcers reopen and ulcerate.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see reopen, old, wound."
      ],
      "id": "en-reopen_old_wounds-en-verb-c0vKBNCf",
      "links": [
        [
          "reopen",
          "reopen#English"
        ],
        [
          "old",
          "old#English"
        ],
        [
          "wound",
          "wound#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "reopen old wounds"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Translation table header lacks gloss"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "reopens old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "reopening old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "reopened old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "reopened old wounds",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "reopen old wounds (third-person singular simple present reopens old wounds, present participle reopening old wounds, simple past and past participle reopened old wounds)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1994, Edward M. Dew, The trouble in Suriname, 1975-1993, page 202:",
          "text": "When I had completed The Difficult Flowering of Surinam in 1976, Fred Ormskirk, the late NPS historian and radio commentator, suggested I delete a number of the more unpleasant stories in the book, claiming that it was better to let go of the past and not reopen old wounds.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Vicki Lane, Old Wounds, page 93:",
          "text": "Please, believe me—the last thing I want to do is reopen old wounds needlessly, but . . . but if it would finally bring a resolution to the whole mystery—\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015, Domnica Radulescu, Theater of War and Exile, page 68:",
          "text": "We return to the countries that had once hurt and destoryed us in many irreparable ways and from which we once ran for dear life, in order to get hurt again and have our old wounds reopened.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023, Muxe Nkondo, Social Memory as a Force for Social and Economic Transformation:",
          "text": "Sometimes the treatments involved in healing the nation (such as appointing commissions of inquiry) reopen old wounds, therefore measures should be in place to cleanse those sores or stop them from festering.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause the memory of past trauma to be recalled, resulting in renewed suffering."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "cause",
          "cause"
        ],
        [
          "memory",
          "memory"
        ],
        [
          "past",
          "past"
        ],
        [
          "trauma",
          "trauma"
        ],
        [
          "recall",
          "recall"
        ],
        [
          "renew",
          "renew"
        ],
        [
          "suffering",
          "suffering"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To cause the memory of past trauma to be recalled, resulting in renewed suffering."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1998, Samuel Lilienthal, Homoeopathic Therapeutics, page 941:",
          "text": "Old wounds and ulcers reopen and ulcerate.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see reopen, old, wound."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "reopen",
          "reopen#English"
        ],
        [
          "old",
          "old#English"
        ],
        [
          "wound",
          "wound#English"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "renovar la herida"
    }
  ],
  "word": "reopen old wounds"
}

Download raw JSONL data for reopen old wounds meaning in English (3.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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