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
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Most of it is invented, but the beginning was inspired by historical incidents.
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
The 922 reports logged through late May is 281 more than the historical average of 641 for this time of year, the outlet said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 May 2025
The Assemblies of God asserts that Adam and Eve were historical people.
—Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 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 29 May. 2025.
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historical
adjective
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