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
Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Travelers can taste Castelluccio lentils, grown high in the Apennines; sip a bold glass of Montefalco Sagrantino, a wine nearly exclusive to this region; and dine on traditional dishes in a cozy trattoria in the historical commune of Città della Pieve.
—Matteo Della Grazia, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2025
Blending fictional stories with real historical figures and events, the show captures the promise and pain of the American dream, exploring themes of race, class and identity that continue to resonate decades later.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
In 2024 alone, Google had to pull its image generation product Imagen 2 for several months after users discovered a number of historical inaccuracies.
—Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 27 Nov. 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 28 Nov. 2025.
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historical
adjective
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