amnesia
noun
am·ne·sia
am-ˈnē-zhə 
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
Alan BrinkleyExamples of amnesia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Shin Si-ah in a bittersweet high-school romance centered on a girl with anterograde amnesia whose memories reset each morning.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
This environmental amnesia allows critics to focus entirely on costs while ignoring the laws’ very real benefits and achievements.
—James Salzman, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
Throw in a scandalous tryst, a terrible fall, a bout of amnesia, a fake engagement and a wildly sexy, deeply romantic happily ever after, and this absolute banger will keep the pages turning all night long.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The public embrace of Baldwin as the scribe of the civil-rights movement has involved a kind of willful amnesia regarding his queerness, and, in turn, an erasure of the muses—romantic and platonic—who inspired him.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amnesia
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
This environmental amnesia allows critics to focus entirely on costs while ignoring the laws’ very real benefits and achievements.
—James Salzman, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
Throw in a scandalous tryst, a terrible fall, a bout of amnesia, a fake engagement and a wildly sexy, deeply romantic happily ever after, and this absolute banger will keep the pages turning all night long.
—Staff Author, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The public embrace of Baldwin as the scribe of the civil-rights movement has involved a kind of willful amnesia regarding his queerness, and, in turn, an erasure of the muses—romantic and platonic—who inspired him.
—The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amnesia
Cite this Entry
“Amnesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amnesia. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
amnesia
noun
am·ne·sia
am-ˈnē-zhə
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share