amnesia

noun

am·​ne·​sia am-ˈnē-zhə How to pronounce amnesia (audio)
1
: loss of memory due usually to brain injury, shock, fatigue, repression, or illness
2
: a gap in one's memory
3
: the selective overlooking or ignoring of events or acts that are not favorable or useful to one's purpose or position
… Americans seemed to develop a willful forgetfulness about the nation's longest military conflict, an amnesia that lasted for nearly a decade.Alan Brinkley
amnesiac adjective or noun
or amnesic

Examples of amnesia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There is a frightening amnesia for history in the air. Ben Stiller, TIME, 20 June 2024 From Bloomberg: Henrik Fisker and his wife, Geeta Gupta-Fisker, benefitted from incredible strokes of luck four years ago, when one of the weirder byproducts of the Covid-19 pandemic was stock market amnesia. Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 20 June 2024 Selective amnesia is a problem for left-leaning liberals! Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024 Hall's character has endured through outrageous circumstances as falling out of a window, hysterical amnesia, kidnapping, being targeted by serial killers, being replaced by an unhinged lookalike, surviving a plane crash and not one but two demonic possessions. Scott Huver, Peoplemag, 24 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for amnesia 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amnesia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin amnēsia, borrowed from Greek (Septuagint) amnēsía "forgetfulness," variant of amnēstía — more at amnesty entry 1

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of amnesia was in 1772

Dictionary Entries Near amnesia

Cite this Entry

“Amnesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amnesia. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

amnesia

noun
am·​ne·​sia am-ˈnē-zhə How to pronounce amnesia (audio)
: severe loss of memory
amnesiac adjective or noun

Medical Definition

amnesia

noun
am·​ne·​sia am-ˈnē-zhə How to pronounce amnesia (audio)
1
: loss of memory sometimes including the memory of personal identity due to brain injury, shock, fatigue, repression, or illness or sometimes induced by anesthesia
a period of amnesia after the wreck
2
: a gap in one's memory
an amnesia concerning her high-school years
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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