What does amnestying mean?
Amnestying is the present participle of the verb 'to amnesty', meaning the act of granting an official, general pardon to a group of people for offences they have committed, most often political or military ones. Unlike an individual pardon, an amnesty wipes the slate clean for many people at once, and the word carries connotations of state-level mercy, reconciliation, or — depending on one's view — dangerous leniency. The term derives from the Greek 'amnēstia', meaning forgetfulness: to amnesty someone is, quite literally, for the state to agree to forget their wrongdoing. In practice, 'amnestying' is uncommon; writers overwhelmingly use 'amnesty' as a noun ('an amnesty was declared'), reserving the verb form for formal legal and political prose. It appears in discussions of post-conflict reconciliation, prison reform, and periodic pardons of minor offenders.
verb (present participle of 'amnesty')The act of granting an official pardon to a group of people for offences they have committed, typically political ones; the present participle form of the verb 'to amnesty'.
- Granting an official general pardon to a group of offenders, especially for political crimes.
"The government is amnestying thousands of minor offenders as part of its prison-reform programme."
"The new administration began amnestying political prisoners within weeks of taking office."
"Critics argued that amnestying tax evaders would only encourage future non-compliance."
The word comes from Greek 'amnēstia' meaning 'forgetfulness' — an amnesty is literally a state deciding to forget your crime.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amnestying
The word traces back through Latin 'amnestia' to Greek 'amnēstia', meaning 'forgetfulness' or 'a forgetting', formed from the negative prefix 'a-' plus 'mnēstis' (related to 'remembering'). In ancient Greece, an 'amnēstia' was a formal agreement to forget past wrongs, notably after civil conflicts such as the Athenian reconciliation of 403 BC. English adopted 'amnesty' in the late sixteenth century, and the verb form 'amnestying' developed later from that noun.
Related word forms
How amnestying is actually used
Rarely used in the progressive form; 'amnesty' is far more commonly encountered as a noun, and the verb form appears mostly in formal legal and political writing.
Easily confused with amnestying
'Amnesia' means loss of memory, whereas 'amnestying' refers to the act of granting a formal pardon.