Definition

Verb (transitive): 1. To mention something unpleasant from the past: To bring back to attention, often in conversation, a memory, fact, or story that is unpleasant, embarrassing, or best forgotten. 2. To discover or bring to light with effort: To retrieve something that was hidden, obscure, or buried, often with connotations of it being unwelcome or negative.

Usage and Examples

The verb "dredge up" is typically used to describe the act of reviving old, negative topics. It often implies the speaker is doing this unnecessarily or to cause discomfort.

• Example 1: "At the family dinner, he had to dredge up that embarrassing story from my childhood."
• Example 2: "The journalist dredged up details about the politician's old financial troubles."
• Example 3: "I wish you wouldn't dredge up past arguments every time we disagree."

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Connotation: The phrase almost always carries a negative connotation. The thing being "dredged up" is seen as mud, sludge, or something undesirable pulled from the bottom of a body of water.
• Object Focus: The object is typically an abstract concept like a , , , , or . It is less commonly used for physical objects.
• Formality: It is more common in informal or conversational contexts but is understood in all registers.

Variants and Related Words

• Dredge (verb): The base verb meaning to clean, deepen, or search the bottom of a body of water with a dredge. The phrasal verb "dredge up" is a metaphorical extension of this.
• Dredging (noun): The activity or process of using a dredge.

Synonyms

• Drag up: To bring something unpleasant back to people's attention. (e.g., "drag up old grievances").
• Raise again: To bring a subject back for discussion (more neutral).
• Resurrect: To bring back into use or attention (can be neutral or positive, but often negative in this context).
• Rehash: To present old ideas or material again without real change (often negative).
• Revisit: To return to a subject (can be neutral).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Drag up: Very similar in meaning and often interchangeable with "dredge up." (e.g., "Why did you have to drag that up?")
• Bring up: A more general and neutral term for introducing a topic. The negativity of "dredge up" comes from the context of what is brought up.

Verb

1. mention something unpleasant from the past
   • Drag up old stories