VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

amnestic

adjective, noun·Advancedmedicaltechnical

Last updated

UK/æmˈnestɪk/
US/æmˈnɛstɪk/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Causing, connected with or showing a loss of memory.

    Grammar: Used before nouns like effect or drug: an amnestic effect.

    Patterns

    • amnestic effect
    • amnestic syndrome
    • amnestic drug

    The sedative has a mild amnestic effect, so patients rarely recall the procedure.

    Doctors found signs of an amnestic syndrome after the head injury.

    Researchers studied an amnestic patient who could not form new memories.

  2. nouncountablemedical

    A drug that causes a person to forget events that happen while it is working.

    Grammar: Used in medicine: an amnestic is given before some operations.

    Patterns

    • give an amnestic
    • use an amnestic

    The anesthetist gave an amnestic to ease the patient's memory of the surgery.

    An amnestic can spare patients distressing memories of a procedure.

    Some amnestics are used together with sedatives.

Word forms

plural nounamnestics

Common combinations

amnestic effect
The drug's amnestic effect lasted several hours.
amnestic syndrome
The patient was diagnosed with amnestic syndrome.
amnestic drug
An amnestic drug may be used before minor surgery.
amnestic disorder
Long-term alcohol misuse can lead to an amnestic disorder.

Synonyms and how they differ

amnesic
Amnesic is a very close variant and often describes a person with amnesia, while amnestic is more often used for drugs and effects.
memory-impairing
Memory-impairing is an everyday descriptive phrase, whereas amnestic is the exact medical term.

Word family

amnesia noun
partial or total loss of memory
amnesiac noun
a person who has lost their memory
amnesic adjective
relating to or affected by amnesia
amnesty noun
an official pardon, from the same Greek root as forgetting

Commonly confused: amnestic or amnesty? amnestic or anesthetic?

amnestic vs amnesty

Amnesty is an official pardon for offenders, even though it comes from the same Greek root; amnestic is about memory loss.

amnestic vs anesthetic

An anesthetic stops feeling or pain, while an amnestic affects memory.

Practice

A drug that makes patients forget a procedure is described as having an ___ effect.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “amnestic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words