historical

adjective

his·​tor·​i·​cal hi-ˈstȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈstär-

1

a

: of, relating to, or having the character of history

historical data

b

: based on history

historical novels

c

: used in the past and reproduced in historical presentations

2

: famous in history : historic sense a

3

a

: secondary sense 1c

b

: diachronic

historical grammar

historicalness

hi-ˈstȯr-i-kəl-nəs 

-ˈstär-

noun

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 of historical

• factual
• literal
• documentary
• true
• nonfictional

Examples of historical in a Sentence

He strove for historical accuracy in the movie.

The kings are listed in historical order.

Recent Examples on the Web

More than 50 historical buildings are being restored to create retail and residential spaces in one of Atlanta’s most ambitious downtown projects. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 30 July 2026

That is well below the historical average of 40%, according to WalletHub. — Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026

By comparing the mummies’ viral traces with historical examples, Nakagome and colleagues saw that the virus experienced an extended period of genetic alterations until the 16th century. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026

Visitors will learn about retro computing from the 1960s to the ’90s by exploring a showcase of historical computers, some original and some lovingly hacked to suit our modern times. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing historical

• anti-historical
• art historical
• historical materialism
• historical museum
• historical present
• historical society

Rhymes for historical

• rhetorical
• ahistorical
• allegorical
• metaphorical
• oratorical
• unhistorical
• sociohistorical

Kids Definition

historical

adjective

his·​tor·​i·​cal his-ˈtȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈtär-

1

a

: of, relating to, or having the character of history

historical fact

b

: based on history

historical novels

c

: of, relating to, or exhibiting objects from the past

a historical museum

2

: historic sense 2

historically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

historicalness

-i-kəl-nəs 

noun