bygones

Water under bridge

Bygones are things from the past, especially past grievances or conflicts.

The word appears almost exclusively in the phrase let bygones be bygones—agreeing to forget past offenses and move forward without resentment.

Occasionally used as an adjective meaning former or past: bygone era, bygone days.

history

past

Time already gone

  • antiquityGreat age, ancient era
  • eraDistinct historical period
  • epochDistinct historical period

ancestry · heritage · legacy · relics · artifacts · ruins · archives · chronicles · annals · yore

reconciliation

forgiveness

Releasing resentment toward offenders

peace · renewal · accord · compromise · mediation · detente · olive-branch · harmony · mending · apology

nostalgia

reminiscence

Recalling past experiences

longing · retrospection · melancholy · reverie · recollection · hiraeth · sentimentality · yearning · flashbacks · homesickness

grievance

grudge

Persistent resentment toward someone

quarrel · dispute · wrongdoing · injury · hurt · feud · falling-out · bitterness · animosity · scores

Categories
Opposites
emotional/relational processing

bygonesgrudges

Persistent ill will

grievances · resentments · open wounds · bad blood · bones of contention

Phrases
Family

bygone, let bygones be bygones, bygone era

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G