Meaning & use
amnesty
An official pardon granted by a government to people who have committed a crime, often a political offense.
See it in a sentence
The government declared an amnesty for political prisoners after the peace agreement was signed.
Thousands of unregistered immigrants applied under the new amnesty program before the deadline.
A note on using this word
Amnesty is usually granted to a group of people, such as prisoners or immigrants, rather than to a single individual; it forgives an offense rather than simply excusing a sentence.
Words with a similar meaning
pardonreprieve
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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