Make Your Point: AMNESTY

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > AMNESTY

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pronounce AMNESTY:

AM nuh stee

connect this word to others:

The lovely word amnesty, literally meaning "forgetting," or even more literally "not remembering," is close cousins with other words about memory, like amnesia ("loss of memory") and mnemonic ("helpful in remembering").

Amnesty is a beautiful kind of forgetting: it's an authority pardoning or excusing people after they did something wrong.

So in practice, amnesty is a type of forgiving. Similar to these:

1. The act of setting people free from blame, as if loosening the guilt from their souls, is ab___ving (or ab_____ion).

2. The act of excusing some bad action or letting it slide, as if giving it up as unimportant, is con___ing (or con___ation).

And while we're talking about forgiveness, see if you can recall a word for people with generous spirits who easily forgive: m___anim___.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Amnesty" traces back to a Greek word, amnestos, meaning "forgotten," and more literally, "not remembered."

In English, since the 1500s, we've used "amnesty" to mean "pardon or forgiveness." It's given by a government to a person or a group of people who have broken rules or laws.

In concrete terms, to give someone amnesty can mean setting them free from jail, or ensuring they won't be fined or otherwise punished for what they did.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, usually the uncountable kind: "They requested amnesty;" "They were granted amnesty."

Sometimes the countable kind: "They announced a general amnesty for anyone who had broken that immigration law."

Other forms:

Sometimes an adjective, as in "amnesty program" or "amnesty law."

"Amnesty" can also be a verb, meaning "to give amnesty," but it's rare.

how to use it:

The word "amnesty" is formal, common, and wonderfully specific.

Pick it when you need to describe the official action of an authority choosing to forgive people and move on rather than punish them.

Talk about authorities (like governments, presidents, or monarchs) giving or granting or promising amnesty to people, or denying amnesty to people. Or, talk about people requesting or getting or receiving amnesty.

Amnesty often comes with terms or conditions. For example, a government might grant amnesty to someone who bought a gun illegally—if they turn in the gun. It might grant amnesty to someone who came into the country illegally, if they apply for citizenship. Or it might grant amnesty to a group of people who started a war, if they agree to peace.

examples:

"Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty."
— Staff, BBC, 9 October 2025

"Everyone got amnesty by telling on everyone else until we were all one big rotten family of cowards."
— Julia Alvarez, In The Time of the Butterflies, 1994

"The darkened house is in the midst of the spring winds.
'Amnesty,' goes whispering through the grass: 'amnesty.'
A boy runs with an invisible line angling up into the sky
where his wild dreams about the future fly like a kite bigger than the suburbs."
— Tomas Tranströmer, as translated by Patty Crane, "Open and Closed Spaces," 2011

has this page helped you understand "amnesty"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "amnesty" without saying "forgiveness" or "pardon."

try it out:

CK Smith sums up one of the most famous examples of amnesty in American history:

"On Christmas Day in 1868, President Andrew Johnson issued a sweeping amnesty to former Confederate officials and soldiers, ending legal consequences for those who rebelled against the United States... Critics argue that broad pardons without accountability can undermine trust in democratic institutions. Supporters maintain that clemency can serve as a tool for national reconciliation. Johnson's Christmas Day proclamation illustrates how the balance between forgiveness and responsibility remains a live issue in U.S. politics."

Could you explain what Smith is saying about why amnesty is sometimes criticized and sometimes supported? And, could you say whether or not you think amnesty was appropriate for the Confederate rebels, and why?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is Slide Into The Title: Elton John Edition!

Have you noticed how pop songs tend to use rhyme, rhythm, and semantics to guide you straight into singing the correct title, even if you’ve never heard it before? I love that, how the title clicks into place. See if you can slide into a complete title, given a snippet of lyrics.

You can check out some examples here.

Try this one today:

"And should I drift away,
The compass holds the clue.
You control the weather,
And I can't steer my heart clear __ ___."

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of AMNESTY could be

A. WANDERING.
B. PUNISHMENT.
C. MEMORIZATION.

2. Amnesty International USA protects human rights of all kinds, but as its name suggests, it originated with a campaign to _____.

A. secure equal rights for women
B. free people who were imprisoned for having the "wrong" beliefs
C. protect children and teenagers from being forcibly recruited into armies

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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