historical

adjective

his·​tor·​i·​cal hi-ˈstȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈstär-

1

a

: of, relating to, or having the character of history

historical data

b

: based on history

historical novels

c

: used in the past and reproduced in historical presentations

2

: famous in history : historic sense a

3

a

: secondary sense 1c

b

: diachronic

historical grammar

historicalness

hi-ˈstȯr-i-kəl-nəs 

-ˈstär-

noun

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).

Synonyms

• documentary
• factual
• hard
• literal
• matter-of-fact
• nonfictional
• objective
• true

Examples of historical in a Sentence

He strove for historical accuracy in the movie.

The kings are listed in historical order.

Recent Examples on the Web

And the chilly breeze on an overcast April day in Detroit is nothing compared to the historical headwinds of playing quarterback in Chicago — and the icy blowback if things don’t go as planned. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024

In a new historical musical by T.C. Lind, Phoebe Kreutz and Derek Gregor, the fabulous ‘50s aren’t so fabulous in Florida. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024

Curator Andrew Bolton, the mastermind behind the Costume Institute exhibit each year, explained that this year's annual display includes both rare historical garments and corresponding contemporary fashions. —Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024

Courtesy of Ty Busey The style of Busey’s work is a fitting way to rectify its namesake’s historical legacy. —Alex Berg, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024

California voters looking at those historical realities were not inclined last year to pay the great-great grandchildren of slaves victimized by a Supreme Court that upheld slavery even in free states. —Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024

But the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 hastened the convergence among these four countries in ways that transcend their historical ties. —Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Any statements that are not historical facts may be deemed forward-looking statements. —Sacramento Bee, 23 Apr. 2024

Sharing an 833-mile border with Russia Happiness in Finland, for historical reasons, may be closely linked to ideas about resilience, researchers say. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing historical

• anti-historical
• art historical
• historical materialism
• historical museum
• historical present
• historical society

Kids Definition

historical

adjective

his·​tor·​i·​cal his-ˈtȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈtär-

1

a

: of, relating to, or having the character of history

historical fact

b

: based on history

historical novels

c

: of, relating to, or exhibiting objects from the past

a historical museum

2

: historic sense 2

historically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

historicalness

-i-kəl-nəs 

noun