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
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The sci-fi pic, starring Ryan Gosling as a school teacher who wakes aboard a spacecraft with amnesia, has been a winner for Amazon MGM Studios, delivering some of the best numbers for a non-franchise movie in some time.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Dissociation is a common response to traumatic stress that can include amnesia, feelings that things are unreal or feeling disconnected from what is happening.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
While music alone cannot deliver accountability, the law can ensure that violence does not disappear into denial or historical amnesia.
—Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
As soon as awareness returns, many patients experience post-coma confusion, sometimes called post-traumatic amnesia, which can last for days or weeks.
—Kara Rogers , Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
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Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Dissociation is a common response to traumatic stress that can include amnesia, feelings that things are unreal or feeling disconnected from what is happening.
—Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
While music alone cannot deliver accountability, the law can ensure that violence does not disappear into denial or historical amnesia.
—Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
As soon as awareness returns, many patients experience post-coma confusion, sometimes called post-traumatic amnesia, which can last for days or weeks.
—Kara Rogers , Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for amnesia
Cite this Entry
“Amnesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amnesia. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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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
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