1
: loss of memory due usually to brain injury, shock, fatigue, repression, or illness
2
: a gap in one's memory
3
: the selective overlooking or ignoring of events or acts that are not favorable or useful to one's purpose or position
… Americans seemed to develop a willful forgetfulness about the nation's longest military conflict, an amnesia that lasted for nearly a decade. Alan Brinkley

Examples of amnesia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Manzano did not have a prescription for Xanax or other depressants based on his medical records and the drug is often used to facilitate theft by inducing amnesia, the detective said. CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025 His variation of relationship amnesia doesn’t present by outright forgetting; instead, he’s plagued by a more sinister strain: amnesia by omission. Claire Franken, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025 The reason for the collective amnesia regarding the first film is that the 'new and improved' Rambo suggested not simply an updating of the character but a fearless new zeitgeist, one in which the prospect of American victory would never be doubted or questioned. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 10 Feb. 2025 At times the sickness would be accompanied by diarrhea, and in severe cases could lead to temporary amnesia. Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for amnesia

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin amnēsia, borrowed from Greek (Septuagint) amnēsía "forgetfulness," variant of amnēstía — more at amnesty entry 1

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of amnesia was in 1772

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Cite this Entry

“Amnesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amnesia. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

amnesia

noun
: severe loss of memory

Medical Definition

amnesia

noun
1
: loss of memory sometimes including the memory of personal identity due to brain injury, shock, fatigue, repression, or illness or sometimes induced by anesthesia
a period of amnesia after the wreck
2
: a gap in one's memory
an amnesia concerning her high-school years

More from Merriam-Webster on amnesia

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