Amnesia: meaning, definitions and examples

Amnesia is often used in medical or psychological contexts to describe a condition where someone loses memories due to injury, illness, or trauma. It is a clinical term and can refer to partial or complete loss of memory.

• After the accident, he suffered from amnesia and couldn't remember his own name.
• The movie featured a character with amnesia who had to piece together their past.

Memory loss can be used in both medical and non-medical contexts to describe a reduction in the ability to remember information. It is a broader term than amnesia and can refer to temporary or permanent memory issues.

• Memory loss is a common symptom of Alzheimer's disease.
• After experiencing severe memory loss, she had to rely on photographs to recall important events.

Forgetfulness typically describes a common, everyday condition where someone frequently forgets things, usually due to distraction, stress, or age. It is not as severe as amnesia and is generally not related to a serious medical condition.

• Her forgetfulness has been getting worse; she often leaves her keys at home.
• Forgetfulness is common when you're trying to juggle too many tasks at once.

This term is used in a medical or psychological context to describe a significant loss of memory, often due to injury, illness, or psychological trauma.

• After the accident, he suffered from amnesia and couldn't remember anything from the past five years

This phrase is often used in a colloquial context to describe when someone seems to conveniently forget only certain pieces of information. It can carry a negative connotation, implying intentionality.

• He claims he has selective memory loss whenever it's time to do chores

This phrase is used in everyday contexts to describe a temporary and usually minor gap in memory, often due to stress, tiredness, or distraction.

• I had a memory lapse and completely forgot about our meeting