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.

One factor that has been holding back the cash rate’s descent has been the strength of the labor market, with unemployment rate hovering near a historic low level of 4.0% in December. —

Anniek Bao, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025 Thierry can be a little cynical about historic buildings in this country compared to the centuries-old architecture in his native France, but he was fascinated by Savannah’s urban planning and construction. —

Frances MacDougall, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2025 In the film, Plant recounts that day of personal triumph while keeping his band’s award in perspective with the historic events that had most of the world’s attention. —

Steve Appleford, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2025 The Warriors, mired in the middle and faced with the prospect of wasting Steph Curry’s twilight years after their historic run, were determined to add a difference-maker at the trade deadline. —

Sam Amick, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for historic