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.

Pullman Market Taking up residence in the historic Samuels Glass Co. building in The Pearl, Pullman Market has established itself as a one-stop shop for food lovers since opening in April. —

Katie Chang, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024 In the coming years, the organization will celebrate the 90th anniversary of the arts center’s historic building, the 60th anniversary of the Carroll County Arts Council and the 30th anniversary of Westminster’s ownership of the arts center. —

Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 30 Nov. 2024 Parents across the country were among the many diverse constituencies that delivered a historic victory for President-elect Donald J. Trump. —

Chad Williams, National Review, 30 Nov. 2024 The league also will feature historic contract opportunities, offering the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history. —

Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 29 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for historic