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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Recent Examples of amnesia from the Web
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Let Draymond Green and the Warriors talk their selective-amnesia smack, and/or continue to poke the King.
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Mr. Yang said the bottle’s label will help combat the amnesia that has enveloped the killings on the Chinese mainland.
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Origin and Etymology of amnesia
New Latin, from Greek amnēsia forgetfulness, alteration of amnēstia
Other Psychology Terms
AMNESIA Defined for English Language Learners
amnesia
playDefinition of amnesia for English Language Learners
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medical : a condition in which a person is unable to remember things because of brain injury, shock, or illness
AMNESIA Defined for Kids
amnesia
playDefinition of amnesia for Students
: an abnormal and usually complete loss of one's memory
Medical Dictionary
amnesia
playMedical 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 a period of amnesia after the wreck
2: a gap in one's memory an amnesia concerning her high-school years
Learn More about amnesia
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Spanish Central: Translation of amnesia Nglish: Translation of amnesia for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of amnesia for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about amnesia
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