as in pardons
release from the guilt or penalty of an offense
the president of France traditionally grants amnesty to specially selected prisoners on Bastille Day
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Recent Examples of amnesties
The amnesties come after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was sworn into office as president on April 10 following an election that critics say was neither free nor fair and was orchestrated to maintain the military’s tight grip on power.
—
ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Actions including the amnesties and Suu Kyi’s transfer are widely seen as an effort to burnish his image.
—Grant Peck, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Even in its ideal form, the bureaucratic pardon would not possess the political legitimacy to undertake large-scale reform or grant broader amnesties.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
At the same time, Washington hopes to push a process of national reconciliation, including amnesties for opposition figures, the release of remaining political prisoners and the return of Venezuelans in exile — issues of particular importance to South Florida’s large Venezuelan diaspora.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Actions including the amnesties and Suu Kyi’s transfer are widely seen as an effort to burnish his image.
—Grant Peck, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Even in its ideal form, the bureaucratic pardon would not possess the political legitimacy to undertake large-scale reform or grant broader amnesties.
—Bernadette Meyler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
At the same time, Washington hopes to push a process of national reconciliation, including amnesties for opposition figures, the release of remaining political prisoners and the return of Venezuelans in exile — issues of particular importance to South Florida’s large Venezuelan diaspora.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amnesties
pardons
Noun
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Seven of the plaintiffs were ultimately convicted, and all received pardons last year.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
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The Potential Benefits of Conditional Pardons How, then, can the president’s ability to issue conditional pardons or commutations serve to mitigate the most notable downsides of this country’s growing pardon debacle?—
Robert Radick,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amnesties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amnesties. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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