amnesty

American  

[am-nuh-stee] / ˈæm nə sti /

noun

plural

amnesties

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

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

3. a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.

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verb (used with object)

amnestied, amnestying

1. to grant amnesty to; pardon.

amnesty British  

/ ˈæmnɪstɪ /

noun

1. a general pardon, esp for offences against a government

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

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

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verb

1. (tr) to overlook or forget (an offence)

Usage

What does amnesty mean? Amnesty is a pardon for offenses against a government, especially before a trial or conviction for those offenses.Amnesty also means an overlooking of past offenses.In law, amnesty refers to an act of forgiveness for past offenses, often issued to a class of people.An amnesty is a pardon for criminal offenses. However, a pardon can only be given after someone is judged guilty. Amnesty can be given before a judgment is made.Amnesty often also refers to the process of allowing undocumented immigrants stay in the country rather than be deported.Sometimes, an amnesty is named after the thing being forgiven. For example, an amnesty that says as long as you give in your illegal guns to the government you won’t be prosecuted for illegal ownership would be called a gun amnesty or firearm amnesty.Example: The government offered an amnesty for anyone owning an illegal weapon if they handed the weapon in before the deadline.

Related Words

See pardon.

Etymology

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; a- ⁶, -y ³

Example Sentences

Kenyans enlisted to fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine will be granted amnesty on their return home, the East African nation's foreign minister has said.

From BBC

When they seized power in 2021, the Taliban announced an amnesty for anyone who had worked with the former military or government.

From BBC

She has reformed oil regulations and enacted a historic amnesty law.

From Barron's

Türk welcomed the amnesty law but warned that "structural and systemic human rights concerns have persisted" in Venezuela despite Maduro's ousting.

From BBC

An amnesty statute freed more than 3,000 political prisoners, according to the government.

From Barron's

Related Words

• forgiveness
• immunity
• reprieve