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
George Heller, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
On May 6, 2026, a historic ceremony was held where a robot received the Buddhist precepts from a monk.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
Climate change sends rodents to new frontiers Argentina in recent years endured a historic drought.
—Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
One of them is Four Seasons at the Surf Club, a historic property that now doubles as a low-key residential hideaway with full hotel service.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for historic
Cite this Entry
“Historic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historic. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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historic
adjective
