: 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
Recent Examples on the WebThere’s total amnesia of the experience of deep play. David Marchese, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2022 Their earnest efforts might turn off viewers already attuned to the cycles of America’s racial amnesia, but the doc works as a primer for the uninitiated. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2022 House Democrats must have political amnesia—or hope Americans do. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 5 Apr. 2022 Political amnesia, in other words, is an active, ongoing project in which whole societies participate. Lidija Haas, The New Republic, 23 Dec. 2021 Because of this amnesia, Dr. Fanti had to rebuild his life, step by step. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022 At the same time, these new maps can undo the historical amnesia that minimizes the genocidal violence of the European and U.S. settlement and expansion. Gregory Smithers, The New Republic, 17 Jan. 2022 But the amnesia of La Movida inadvertently abetted the agenda of Franco’s supporters.New York Times, 13 Dec. 2021 In Hong Kong, some once-outspoken pro-democracy veterans now appear to suffer from sudden political amnesia. Timothy Mclaughlin, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin amnēsia, borrowed from Greek (Septuagint) amnēsía "forgetfulness," variant of amnēstía — more at amnesty entry 1