amnesty

[am-nuh-stee]

noun

plural

amnesties 

1. a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.

2. Law.,  an act of forgiveness for past offenses, especially to a class of persons as a whole.

3. a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.

verb (used with object)

amnestied, amnestying 

1. to grant amnesty to; pardon.

amnesty

/ ˈæmnɪstɪ /

noun

1. a general pardon, esp for offences against a government

2. a period during which a law is suspended to allow offenders to admit their crime without fear of prosecution

3. law a pardon granted by the Crown or Executive and effected by statute

verb

1. (tr) to overlook or forget (an offence)

Word History and Origins

Origin of amnesty¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French amnestie, or directly from Latin amnēstia, from Greek amnēstía “oblivion,” equivalent to ámnēst(os) “forgetting” (from a- negative prefix + mnēs- “remember” + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ia noun suffix; a- ⁶, -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of amnesty¹

C16: from Latin amnēstia, from Greek: oblivion, from amnēstos forgetting, from _a- ¹ + -mnēstos, from mnasthai to remember

Synonym Study

See pardon.

Example Sentences

In response to the ruling, a DHS spokesperson told the BBC the scheme had been "abused, exploited, and politicised as a de facto amnesty program", while indicating it would assess its legal options.

From BBC

Eventually he fell for a young woman living there: Ciau, whose parents had brought her from Kini as a young girl, and who obtained legal status under an amnesty extended by President Reagan.

From Los Angeles Times

And Halimi said that a broad amnesty offer from the Taliban, extended to most of their enemies, would not apply to him.

From Salon

But a UN report titled "No safe haven" that was released last month cast doubt on their assurances about a general amnesty.

From BBC

Born in Guadalajara, Barrios Gracián came to Anaheim with her parents in the 1980s without papers, eventually legalizing through the 1986 amnesty.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• forgiveness 
• immunity 
• reprieve 

When To Use

What does amnesty mean?

Amnesty is a pardon for offenses against a government, especially before a trial or conviction for those offenses.Amnesty also means an overlooking of past offenses.In law, amnesty refers to an act of forgiveness for past offenses, often issued to a class of people.An amnesty is a pardon for criminal offenses. However, a pardon can only be given after someone is judged guilty. Amnesty can be given before a judgment is made.Amnesty often also refers to the process of allowing undocumented immigrants stay in the country rather than be deported.Sometimes, an amnesty is named after the thing being forgiven. For example, an amnesty that says as long as you give in your illegal guns to the government you won’t be prosecuted for illegal ownership would be called a gun amnesty or firearm amnesty.Example: The government offered an amnesty for anyone owning an illegal weapon if they handed the weapon in before the deadline.