amnesia

American  

[am-nee-zhuh] / æmˈni ʒə /

noun

1. loss of a large block of interrelated memories; complete or partial loss of memory caused by brain injury, shock, etc.

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amnesia British  

/ æmˈniːzɪˌæk, æmˈniːsɪk, æmˈniːzjə, -ʒjə, -zɪə, -zɪk /

noun

1. a defect in memory, esp one resulting from pathological cause, such as brain damage or hysteria

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amnesia Scientific  

/ ăm-nē′zhə /

1. Partial or total loss of memory, usually caused by brain injury or shock.

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amnesia Cultural  

1. A loss of memory, especially one brought on by some distressing or shocking experience.

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Discover More

A common variant is selective amnesia; the term is applied to public officials who, when questioned about alleged wrongdoing, profess that they cannot remember.

Other Word Forms

• amnesiac adjective
• amnestic adjective

Etymology

Origin of amnesia

1780–90; < New Latin < Greek amnēsía, variant of amnēstía oblivion; perhaps learnedly formed from mnē-, stem of mimnḗskesthai to remember ( mnemonic ) + -s- + -ia -ia. See amnesty

Example Sentences

He claimed at the tribunal in August that he had suffered from anxiety and depression, while a union representative said he "had suffered from a recognised condition that day, known as transient global amnesia".

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

A World War I soldier with post-traumatic amnesia is identified as the missing husband of a Belgian woman in this intimate epic by the Dutch novelist Anjet Daanje.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

The task now is endurance: Organizing, documenting, refusing amnesia.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2025

Guttmann said they were therefore holding a "counter-symposium" outside parliament against what she called "historical amnesia".

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

Maybe he didn’t even remember, maybe he’d been in so much shock that he had amnesia.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu