haunted past
Lingering traumatic memories
A haunted past is a personal history marked by painful memories, trauma, or regret that continues to affect someone in the present.
The metaphor suggests ghosts that won't rest: Her haunted past made it difficult to trust anyone.
Someone with a haunted past carries emotional weight from earlier experiences—abuse, loss, mistakes, or witnessed horrors—that shadows their current life.
- ghostsSpirits of the deceased
- memoriesStored past experiences
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- secretsConcealed information
- dark secretConcealed shameful knowledge
painful memories · shadows · regret · guilt · skeletons · skeletons in the closet · demons · inner demons · nightmares · scars · wounds · buried · buried alive · forgotten · tormented · darkness · whispers · echoes
- story tropesquest, hero's journey, plot twist, chosen one, red herring
- guiltguilty, guilt trip, guilty conscience, remorseful, contrition
- poetic phrasesonce upon a time, happily ever after, star-crossed lovers, sweet sorrow, eternal flame
- thrillerssuspense, thriller, nail-biter, page-turner, cliffhanger
haunted pastclean slate
Record wiped clear
fresh start · blank slate · clear conscience · peace of mind · closure
haunted pastclear conscience
Freedom from moral guilt
clean conscience · spotless record · clean record · innocence
haunted pastclean slate
Record wiped clear
fresh start · golden years · halcyon days · happy memories · charmed life