historically

adverb

his·​tor·​i·​cal·​ly hi-ˈstȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈstär-

1

: in accordance with or with respect to history

a historically accurate account

2

: in the past

Historically, stagnant cities seldom have recovered …

—Jane Jacobs

Examples of historically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is a historically fragmented industry, with different vendors for different kinds of services, such as firewall, threat detection, and identity. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

The Navy said the project moved through its testing program, including its most demanding phase, at a historically rapid pace. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026

During Copenhagen Fashion Week, the monochrome palette appeared on nearly every showgoer—a stark contrast to the week’s historically maximalist approach. — Laura Jackson, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026

Scientists use this technique, called candling — which historically entailed holding up a burning candle — to assess the contents of shark eggs for health, viability and genetic diversity. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1