What does amnesia mean?
Amnesia is a noun referring to a partial or total loss of memory, most commonly arising from brain injury, illness, psychological trauma, or degenerative conditions. In its clinical sense, it is often classified by type — for example, retrograde amnesia affects memories formed before an event, while anterograde amnesia impairs the ability to form new memories. Beyond medicine, the word is widely used figuratively: journalists and commentators speak of 'collective amnesia' when a society forgets its past, or 'selective amnesia' when someone conveniently overlooks inconvenient facts. The word derives from Greek roots meaning 'forgetfulness' and is related to 'amnesty', which shares the same origin but denotes official forgiveness rather than forgetting. Amnesia carries a serious tone in medical contexts and a subtly critical one in figurative use, making it a versatile term in both scientific writing and everyday discourse about memory and accountability.
nounA partial or total loss of memory, especially of personal experiences or identity, caused by brain injury, illness, psychological trauma, or other factors.
- Partial or total loss of memory, typically resulting from brain injury, shock, psychological trauma, or disease.
- (Figurative) A deliberate or convenient forgetting of something, as in political or public contexts.
"After the accident, she suffered from amnesia and could not remember the past three years of her life."
"Following the head injury, the patient experienced retrograde amnesia, unable to recall events from the weeks before the accident."
"Critics accused the government of collective amnesia over its earlier promises on healthcare reform."
Rarely pluralized; the plural may appear in clinical literature to refer to multiple distinct cases or types of amnesia.
"The study examined several distinct amnesias resulting from different forms of neurological damage."
The word 'amnesia' and 'amnesty' come from the same Greek root — one means forgetting everything, the other means officially forgiving everything.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amnesia
Amnesia comes from the Greek word 'amnēsia', meaning forgetfulness, derived from 'a-' (without) and 'mnēmē' (memory). It entered English via New Latin in the late 18th century, primarily in medical contexts. The word shares its Greek root with 'amnesty' (from 'amnēstia', meaning oblivion or pardon) and with 'mnemonic', relating to memory.
Related word forms
How amnesia is actually used
Amnesia is used in both clinical/medical and figurative contexts. In medical usage it is often qualified by type (e.g. retrograde, anterograde). Figurative uses, such as 'collective amnesia' or 'selective amnesia', are common in journalism and political commentary and carry a mildly critical connotation.
Easily confused with amnesia
Amnesia is the condition itself (a noun), while an amnesiac is a person who suffers from it.
Amnesia is a loss of memory, whereas amnesty is an official pardon for offenses — both share a Greek root but have entirely different meanings.