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

Explanation

Amnesty means an official pardon, often for a large group of people. When political prisoners receive amnesty, all legal records of their convictions are officially eliminated. Amnesty sounds a little like "amnesia," and that's because in its more specific sense amnesty means "forgetting." The government will essentially forget about any crimes that may have been committed. As part of a truce, amnesty can be granted to opposition forces, and if an incarcerated person gets amnesty, they're set free.

Example Sentences

Servicemen accused of plotting against the state are being exempted from an amnesty law.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Under pressure from Washington to ease repression, she has pushed through several major economic reforms, as well as an amnesty for political prisoners.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

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

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Defectors have been promised amnesty, but the Revolutionary Guards know Iranians will have difficulty forgiving them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Everyone got amnesty by telling on everyone else until we were all one big rotten family of cowards.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• forgiveness
• immunity
• reprieve