amnesty

1 of 2

noun

am·​nes·​ty ˈam-nə-stē 

plural amnesties

: the act of an authority (such as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals

The government granted amnesty to all political prisoners.

a general amnesty

amnesty

2 of 2

verb

amnestied; amnestying

transitive verb

: to grant amnesty to : to pardon (someone) officially often before a trial or conviction

Only last Thursday Mr. Clinton told the U.S. that the generals were responsible for the killings … Now, they are to be amnestied and allowed to remain in Haiti if they so wish.

—A. M. Rosenthal

Traditionally, the incoming president amnesties all outstanding driving offences: during the months before an election people park even more selfishly than usual and drive at unbelievable speeds, knowing if they're caught, they'll be amnestied.

—Richard Horton

Synonyms

Noun

• forgiveness
• pardon

Examples of amnesty in a Sentence

Noun

The government gave amnesty to all political prisoners.

Illegal immigrants who came into the country before 1982 were granted amnesty.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

European powers had withdrawn the crew’s belligerent status, and the new American president, Andrew Johnson, had excluded them from the general amnesty offered to Confederate soldiers. —Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025

The state is reviving a tax amnesty program and diverting $137 million from the road fund to cover state employee health benefits, a move analysts warn could weaken long-term infrastructure funding. —Elaine Mallon, The Washington Examiner, 16 June 2025

Verb

Clubs could sign one British (or Swiss) player per season and it would be amnestied, counting like an EU player in the past. —James McNicholas, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025

For the opposition, building a golden bridge to amnesty for Maduro may, in the end, prove critical to ensuring his exit. —Jose Ignacio Hernández, Foreign Affairs, 29 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin amnēstia, borrowed from Greek amnēstía "forgetfulness, oblivion, deliberate overlooking of past offenses," from amnēstós "forgotten, forgetful" (from a- a- entry 2 + mnēstós "memorable," verbal adjective of mnáomai, mnâsthai "to be mindful of" and mimnḗskomai, mimnḗskesthai "to call to mind, remember") + -ia -y entry 2 — more at mind entry 1

Verb

derivative of amnesty entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

amnesty

noun

am·​nes·​ty ˈam-nə-stē 

plural amnesties

: the granting of pardon (as by a government) to a large number of persons

Legal Definition

amnesty

noun

am·​nes·​ty ˈam-nəs-tē 

plural amnesties

: an act of clemency by an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted especially to a group of individuals

illegal-alien farm workers seeking amnesty

—National Law Journal