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amnesty

[ am-nuh-stee ]
/ ˈæm nə sti /
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See synonyms for: amnesty / amnestied / amnestying 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.
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Origin of amnesty

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French amnestie, or directly from Latin amnēstia, from Greek amnēstía “oblivion,” equivalent to ámnēst(os) “forgetting” (from a- negative prefix + mnēs- “remember” + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ia noun suffix; see a-6, -y3

synonym study for amnesty

1. See pardon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use amnesty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amnesty

amnesty
/ (ˈæmnɪstɪ) /

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
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