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

Beyond its vast holdings of US debt, Japan remains one of the premier foreign buyers in global sovereign bond markets, with government debt from major European economies and Australia historically absorbing substantial Japanese capital inflows. — CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Still, this team benefited from a historically easy schedule a year ago. — Chad Graff, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

That decision has been made more complicated by a fairly sturdy job market and a historically low employment rate. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

The area historically has been hardest hit by high surf when powerful waves pass between the Alamitos Bay jetty and the breakwater which together act as a barrier between the ocean and the community. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1