Amnesiac: meaning, definitions and examples

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amnesiac

 

[ æmˈniːziæk ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

memory loss

An amnesiac is a person who suffers from amnesia, a condition characterized by the loss of memory. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including injury, trauma, or psychological factors. Amnesiacs may have difficulty recalling past events, learning new information, or recognizing familiar faces. The term can also refer to a person who experiences selective memory loss, where certain memories are inaccessible while others remain intact.

Synonyms

aberrant, disrememberer, forgetter

Examples of usage

  • The amnesiac struggled to remember his own name.
  • After the accident, she was diagnosed as an amnesiac.
  • The film explores the life of an amnesiac trying to piece together their past.
  • He felt like an amnesiac in a world full of memories he couldn't access.

Translations

Translations of the word "amnesiac" in other languages:

🇵🇹 amnésico

🇮🇳 अम्नेशियाक

🇩🇪 amnesisch

🇮🇩 amnestik

🇺🇦 амнезіак

🇵🇱 amnezjak

🇯🇵 健忘症の人 (けんぼうしょうのひと)

🇫🇷 amnésique

🇪🇸 amnésico

🇹🇷 amnesti

🇰🇷 건망증 환자 (geonmangjeung hwanja)

🇸🇦 مُنسى (muntsa)

🇨🇿 amnesiak

🇸🇰 amnézický

🇨🇳 健忘症患者 (jiànwàngzhèng huànzhě)

🇸🇮 amnezijski

🇮🇸 amnesískur

🇰🇿 әмнезиялы

🇬🇪 ამნეზიური

🇦🇿 amnestiya

🇲🇽 amnésico

Word origin

The word 'amnesiac' is derived from the Greek word 'amnesia', which means 'forgetfulness'. The prefix 'a-' in Greek signifies 'without', while 'mnesia' comes from 'mnasthai', which means 'to remember'. The term made its way into the English language in the late 19th century, with its usage primarily in the medical and psychological contexts. Over the years, 'amnesiac' has evolved to encompass not just clinical cases of memory loss but also been popularized in literature and media to describe characters who experience amnesia. This has fostered a broader cultural understanding of memory and identity, highlighting the complexities of human cognition and the profound impact of memory loss on personal identity and relationships.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #38,764, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.