amnesty

[am-nuh-stee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amnesty ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural am·nes·ties.

a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.

Law. an act of forgiveness for past offenses, especially to a class of persons as a whole.

a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.

verb (used with object), am·nes·tied, am·nes·ty·ing.

to grant amnesty to; pardon.

Origin of amnesty

1570–80; (< Middle French amnestie) < Greek amnēstía oblivion, equivalent to ámnēst(os) forgetting (a- a-⁶ + mnēs- remember + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ia -y³

Synonyms for amnesty

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amnesty ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See pardon.

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

Related Words for amnesty

reprieve, forgiveness, immunity, condonation, absolution, dispensation

Examples from the Web for amnesty

Contemporary Examples of amnesty

Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders cannot be accessed without a virtual private network.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think
Brendon Hong
December 27, 2014
He made clear that he was happy with “90 percent of it” but that he could never support “amnesty.”
Quirky Reindeer Farmer Keeps Government Open for Christmas
Ben Jacobs
December 11, 2014
Along with amnesty, our borders were to be secured once and for all.
The Liberal Case Against Illegal Immigration
Doug McIntyre
November 25, 2014
Herein lies the great dilemma then for the advocates of amnesty.
Legal but Still Poor: The Economic Consequences of Amnesty
Joel Kotkin
November 21, 2014
The immigrants got their amnesty and the United States got 12 million to 20 million more undocumented immigrants.
Didn't Obama Hear Oregon’s Warning Shot on Immigration?
Doug McIntyre
November 14, 2014

Historical Examples of amnesty

It's a thieves' amnesty at this moment, and I must not lose the opportunity.
Maurice Tiernay Soldier of Fortune
Charles James Lever
Amnesty was extended to those who wished it and deserved it.
The Story of the Outlaw
Emerson Hough
Then big Jenkins reached his hand out to Forsythe—but not in token of amnesty.
The Wreck of the Titan
Morgan Robertson
After the blessing, the amnesty I have promised will be read.
The Hour and the Man
Harriet Martineau
I believe this act of amnesty is only a device to put the plotters where he can get his hand on them.
The White Mice
Richard Harding Davis

British Dictionary definitions for amnesty

amnesty

noun plural -ties

a general pardon, esp for offences against a government

a period during which a law is suspended to allow offenders to admit their crime without fear of prosecution

law a pardon granted by the Crown or Executive and effected by statute

verb -ties, -tying or -tied

(tr) to overlook or forget (an offence)

Word Origin for amnesty

C16: from Latin amnēstia, from Greek: oblivion, from amnēstos forgetting, from a- 1 + -mnēstos, from mnasthai to remember

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 amnesty

"pardon of past offenses," 1570s, from French amnestie "intentional overlooking," from Latin amnestia, from Greek amnestia "forgetfulness (of wrong); an amnesty," from a-, privative prefix, "not" (see a- (3)), + mnestis "remembrance," related to mnaomai "I remember" (see mind (n.)). As a verb, from 1809. Amnesty International founded 1961 as Appeal for Amnesty. The name was changed 1963.