historic

adjective

his·tor·ic hi-ˈstȯr-ik

-ˈstär-

Synonyms of historic next

: historical: such as

: famous or important in history

historic battlefields

: having great and lasting importance

a historic occasion

: known or established in the past

historic interest rates

: dating from or preserved from a past time or culture

historic buildings

historic artifacts

Did you know?

historic or historical?

Do you experience a slight pause before using either of these words as you try to remember which one is correct and whether it should be preceded by an or a? If so, you’re not alone, for many people find this pair particularly tricky. Historic and historical are both occasionally found preceded by an, since the initial h in each word was formerly left unpronounced. Now this h is heard, and a is far more common than an (by a ratio of about 4 to 1 in American English).

Historic and historical have been used interchangeably by many writers, even in recent years. If you would like to avoid being corrected, however, use historical for matters relating to history (the historical society), and historic to refer to things having great and lasting importance (a historic occasion).

Examples of historic in a Sentence

It's wonderful to see so many people here on this historic occasion. She returned safely from her historic flight into space. The court made a historic decision last week. They know of many historic volcanic eruptions in the area. the historic importance of the river

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The snowstorm that hit New Orleans on Tuesday was historic, dumping 10 inches of snow, the most since 1895, and shutting down the city. —

Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025 Net income for the year reached a historic high of $10.1 billion, with earnings per share climbing 25% from the previous year to $14.01. —

Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025 According to the Louvre’s own findings, some 80 percent of ticket holders visit the Salle des États to see the 16th century portrait—that’s between 20,000-30,000 visitors a day, well beyond what the historic gallery was intended to accommodate. —

Tessa Solomon For Artnews, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2025 In the few short months since then, Malibu has already seen three major fires: the Broad fire, the Franklin fire, and now, the historic Palisades fire. —

Emma Marie Jenkinson, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for historic