historical
adjective
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 historical in a Sentence
Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
Canada's historical crime series, which airs on Ovation TV in the U.S., is set in the early 20th century and follows the investigative work of Toronto police force detective William Murdoch (played by actor Yannick Bisson).
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The following chart, which depicts the historical growth of the broad U.S. stock market, includes the five worst bear markets since 1928, including the Great Depression, a period during which stocks plummeted by 83%.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Edward Horn, Delray Beach Henry Ford and Elon Musk
The recent vandalism nationwide of Tesla vehicles as a protest of Elon Musk raises a historical question: Was vandalism of Ford cars and trucks ever directed against Ford?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for historical
Cite this Entry
“Historical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historical. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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historical
adjective
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