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
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 June 2026
In this book Ginzburg follows the story of Menocchio, a miller from Friuli, a man of modest means and limited historical impact compared to the major players and large-scale events that typically dominate our explorations of the past.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The panelists recommended a variety of tasks, including creation of a zoning overlay to preserve the neighborhood’s historical integrity, formation of the Community Action Committee and conducting a cultural asset mapping effort.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2026
Drawing on generations of Chinatown family lore and silences, See turns China City’s vanished streets and her ancestors’ immigrant gambles into a historical fiction layered with stories of survival and belonging.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for historical
Cite this Entry
“Historical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historical. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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historical
adjective
