amnesia

[ am-nee-zhuh ]

/ æmˈni ʒə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amnesia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

stupor, blackout, fugue

Nearby words

Origin of amnesia

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

Related formsam·nes·tic

[am-nes-tik] /æmˈnɛs tɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amnesia

For Americans, World War I rests in a dark valley of amnesia between the glowing peaks of the Civil War and World War II.
Wounds of World War I Have Yet to Heal|Michael F. Bishop|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the negative side, the sheer tonnage of opinions can overwhelm and cause a degree of amnesia.
The Best Columns of the Year|John Avlon|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They were responding to that amnesia—our parents looked the other way.
Out of the Ruins of the Second World War|Lucas Wittmann|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But how many sleep-deprived nights are you prepared to spend in nightspots like Les Caves du Roy, Amnesia, or Billionaire?
Simon de Pury: Visiting 16 Studios of Los Angeles’s Top Artists|Simon de Pury|August 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Dr. Anand Veeravagu on the rare form of amnesia that can strike without warning.
Transient Global Amnesia: What Total Memory Loss Is Like|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|July 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some kind of hysteria and amnesia hit you while we were there.
The Memory of Mars|Raymond F. Jones
Most students of hypnosis equate the phenomenon of amnesia with the somnambulistic state.
A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis|Melvin Powers
For the name of the princess there is amnesia, as well as for the reason for his moon walking.
Sleep Walking and Moon Walking|Isidor Isaak Sadger
Mental acuity of this grade combined with amnesia looks more like an hysterical than a manic-depressive process.
Benign Stupors|August Hoch
Curious problems arise from the nature itself of amnesia, its degree, its mechanism, problems impossible to treat here.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell

British Dictionary definitions for amnesia

amnesia

/ (æmˈniːzjə, -ʒjə, -zɪə) /

noun

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

Derived Formsamnesiac (æmˈniːzɪˌæk) or amnesic (æmˈniːsɪk, -zɪk), adjective, noun

Word Origin for amnesia

C19: via New Latin from Greek: forgetfulness, probably from amnēstia oblivion; see amnesty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for amnesia

amnesia

"loss of memory," 1786 (as a Greek word in English from 1670s), Modern Latin, coined from Greek amnesia "forgetfulness," from a-, privative prefix, "not" (see a- (3)) + mimneskesthai "to recall, cause to remember," a reduplicated form related to Greek mnemnon "mindful," mneme "memory," mnasthai "to remember;" from PIE root *men- "to think, remember" (see mind (n.)).

Medicine definitions for amnesia

amnesia

[ ăm-nē′zhə ]

n.

The loss or impairment of memory.

Science definitions for amnesia

amnesia

[ ăm-nē′zhə ]

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

Culture definitions for amnesia

amnesia

[ (am-nee-zhuh) ]

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

Note

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