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
Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 29 June 2025
For this historic journey, Kipyegon utilized male pacers to help establish the pace of the race.
—Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Dip in and out of buildings like the Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum to see a collection of rare historic automobiles and The Grovewood Gallery, which represents over 350 artists from across the country.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
The four-level ship was docked on the Pest side of the Danube near the historic Chain Bridge.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 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 9 Jul. 2025.
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historic
adjective
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