Adjacent Words

Amnesty definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AM'NESTY, n. [Gr. of a neg and memory, from the root of mens, mind. See Mind.]
An act of oblivion; a general pardon of the offenses of subjects against the government, or the proclamation of such pardon.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment
2: a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense [syn: pardon, amnesty]
3: the formal act of liberating someone [syn: amnesty, pardon, free pardon] v
1: grant a pardon to (a group of people)

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ties) Etymology: Greek amn?stia forgetfulness, from amn?stos forgotten, from a- + mnasthai to remember — more at mind Date: 1580 the act of an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals • amnesty transitive verb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. (pl. -ies) a general pardon, esp. for political offences. --v.tr. (-ies, -ied) grant an amnesty to. Phrases and idioms: Amnesty International an independent international organization in support of human rights, esp. for prisoners of conscience. Etymology: F amnestie or L f. Gk amnestia oblivion

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Amnesty Am"nes*ty, n. [L. amnestia, Gr. ?, a forgetting, fr. ? forgotten, forgetful; 'a priv. + ? to remember: cf. F. amnistie, earlier amnestie. See Mean, v.] 1. Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong; oblivion. 2. An act of the sovereign power granting oblivion, or a general pardon, for a past offense, as to subjects concerned in an insurrection.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Amnesty Am"nes*ty, v. t. [imp. p. p. Amnestied; p. pr. & vb. n. Amnestying.] To grant amnesty to.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(amnesties) 1. An amnesty is an official pardon granted to a group of prisoners by the state. Activists who were involved in crimes of violence will not automatically be granted amnesty. = pardon N-VAR 2. An amnesty is a period of time during which people can admit to a crime or give up weapons without being punished. The government has announced an immediate amnesty for rebel fighters. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Forgiveness (granted to whole classes of persons), general pardon (by proclamation), act of oblivion, freedom from penalty.

Moby Thesaurus

absolution, exculpation, excuse, exemption, exoneration, grace, immunity, impunity, indemnity, nolle prosequi, non prosequitur, nonprosecution, pardon, redemption, remission, remission of sin, reprieve, shrift, sparing, stay