historic
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 historic in a Sentence
Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 17 June 2025
Zwane, is no stranger to the elite competition, having been part of the Mamelodi Sundowns squad that featured at the Club World Cup in 2016, following their historic CAF Champions League victory under then-coach Pitso Mosimane.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
McKinney's downtown district is known as one of the largest and oldest historic districts; there are more than 120 different shops and galleries to visit.
—Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 17 June 2025
The 650-square-foot boutique, opened in 2008 under the historic arcades of the Palais-Royal, will reopen on June 26 as Acne Paper Palais Royal, a venue for exhibitions, artist talks, magazine launches, book signings and other cultural events.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for historic
Cite this Entry
“Historic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historic. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
historic
adjective
Share