amnesty

/ˈæmnɪsɾi/
/ˈæmnɪsti/
IPA guide

Other forms: amnestied; amnesties

Amnesty means an official pardon, often for a large group of people. When political prisoners receive amnesty, all legal records of their convictions are officially eliminated.

Amnesty sounds a little like "amnesia," and that's because in its more specific sense amnesty means "forgetting." The government will essentially forget about any crimes that may have been committed. As part of a truce, amnesty can be granted to opposition forces, and if an incarcerated person gets amnesty, they're set free.

Definitions of amnesty
  1. noun
    a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
    synonyms: pardon
    see moresee less
    type of:
    warrant
    a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts
  2. noun
    the formal act of liberating someone
    synonyms: free pardon, pardon
    see moresee less
    type of:
    clemency, mercifulness, mercy
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
  3. noun
    a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment
    see moresee less
    type of:
    exemption, freedom
    immunity from an obligation or duty
  4. verb
    grant a pardon to (a group of people)
    see moresee less
    type of:
    pardon
    grant a pardon to
Pronunciation
US
/ˈæmnɪsɾi/
UK
/ˈæmnɪsti/
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