historic

adjective

his·​tor·​ic hi-ˈstȯr-ik 

-ˈstär-

: historical: such as

a

: famous or important in history

historic battlefields

b

: having great and lasting importance

a historic occasion

c

: known or established in the past

historic interest rates

d

: 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).

Synonyms

• big
• consequential
• earth-shattering
• earthshaking
• eventful
• important
• major
• material
• meaningful
• momentous
• monumental
• much
• significant
• substantial
• tectonic
• weighty

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

The tour through Rome's historic center came after Francis made his first appearance in five weeks to give a thumbs-up and brief blessing from a hospital balcony. —Nicole Winfield, TIME, 23 Mar. 2025

For directing Roosevelt to a historic season and finding ways to beat the top teams in Southern California again and again, Singleton has been selected The Times’ boys’ basketball coach of the year. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025

If visiting a specific port is the main reason for booking—like a once-in-a-lifetime stop in Greenland or a historic Mediterranean city—this coverage is well worth considering. —David Nikel, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025

Boca Baco, Granada Steps from historic Granada's cathedral, Boca Baco fills a breezy, beautiful patio space with local art and draping greenery for an unpretentious spot to enjoy one of the best meals in town. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for historic

• caloric
• dysphoric
• euphoric
• folkloric
• plethoric
• pyloric
• anaphoric
• metaphoric
• meteoric
• paregoric
• prehistoric
• pyrophoric

Kids Definition

historic

adjective

his·​tor·​ic his-ˈtȯr-ik 

-ˈtär-

1

: historical sense 1

2

: famous in history

historic events