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

• documentary
• factual
• hard
• literal
• matter-of-fact
• nonfictional
• objective
• true

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

Sharing an 833-mile border with Russia Happiness in Finland, for historical reasons, may be closely linked to ideas about resilience, researchers say. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

The San Diego Union-Tribune historical photos are provided by the San Diego History Center. —U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024

But the American historical psyche — the nasty, lurid stuff, the paranoia, the paradox, the farce, the terror, the truth. —Wesley Morris, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. —Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024

These predictions are based on historical records, environmental factors and scientific research. —The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024

Doctors had a limited understanding of reproductive health, and technology lagged, historical experts said. —Melissa Chan, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

It’s grounded in historical research and cultural analysis, but the journalist’s own life story drives the narrative. —Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024

However, the historical record shows that Garza was more than just an anti-imperialist revolutionary. —TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing historical

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

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