amnesia

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noun am·ne·sia \ am-ˈnē-zhə \

Definition of amnesia

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

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amnesiac

play \-zhē-ˌak, -zē-\ or amnesic play \-zik, -sik\ adjective or noun

See amnesia defined for English-language learners

See amnesia defined for kids

Recent Examples of amnesia from the Web

While Jared did manage to remember to list Thrive on his financial-disclosure forms—unlike some others, wherein amnesia apparently struck, specific holdings, like OpenGov, were not detailed.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Trump Surprisingly Not the Reason Jamie Dimon Says Being an American Has Become an “Embarrassment”," 14 July 2017
McConnell, however, is far from the only Republican who seems to suffer from a sudden case of amnesia.

— karen tumulty, Washington Post, "Republicans who decried Obamacare secrecy now writing legislation in secret," 21 June 2017
A city whose own founding myths tell of amnesia, and of the power of texts to resist it.

— parul seghal, The Atlantic, "Arundhati Roy’s Fascinating Mess," 17 June 2017
Above all, the best way to avoid gluteal amnesia is to mix up your daily routine, says Bang.

— anthea levi, CNN, "Dead butt syndrome: How to get your rear in gear," 9 June 2017
But there's another health risk from sitting all day that most people don't know about: gluteal amnesia, or dead butt syndrome.

— anthea levi, CNN, "Dead butt syndrome: How to get your rear in gear," 9 June 2017
Let Draymond Green and the Warriors talk their selective-amnesia smack, and/or continue to poke the King.

— dennis manoloff, cleveland.com, "On Cavaliers, Warriors and NBA Finals 2017: DMan talks with Baskin & Phelps on 92.3," 1 June 2017
Mr. Yang said the bottle’s label will help combat the amnesia that has enveloped the killings on the Chinese mainland.

— didi kirsten tatlow, New York Times, "A High-Proof Tribute to Tiananmen’s Victims Finds a Way Back to China," 30 May 2017
Like everything in history, amnesia has its own causality.

— adam gopnik, The New Yorker, "We Could Have Been Canada," 15 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amnesia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of amnesia

New Latin, from Greek amnēsia forgetfulness, alteration of amnēstia

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1772

See Words from the same year

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

AMNESIA Defined for English Language Learners

amnesia

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noun

Definition of amnesia for English Language Learners

medical : a condition in which a person is unable to remember things because of brain injury, shock, or illness

AMNESIA Defined for Kids

amnesia

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noun am·ne·sia \ am-ˈnē-zhə \

Definition of amnesia for Students

:an abnormal and usually complete loss of one's memory

Medical Dictionary

amnesia

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noun am·ne·sia \ am-ˈnē-zhə \

medical Definition of amnesia

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