1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

history

noun

ˈhi-st(ə-)rē How to pronounce history (audio)
Definition of historynext
1
as in annals
an account of important events in the order in which they happened a history of the American civil rights movement during the 1960s

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in chronology
a relating of events usually in the order in which they happened we heard the whole history of her illness in excruciating detail

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in past
the events or experience of former times history has many lessons to teach us, if only we would listen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of history Scarborough, who heads the journalism department at East Tennessee State University, said the documentary was a love letter to the organization and to the many LGBTQ+ journalists who have shaped history. — Kat Tran, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026 The history of the role in the People’s Republic of China is complicated. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026 These excursions enriched my experience, reminding me that Mérida is also deeply rooted in history. — Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2026 A day after Feldstein’s arrest, Urich deleted his phone’s text history. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for history
Recent Examples of Synonyms for history
  1. record
  2. chronology
  3. past
  4. story
  5. commentary
  6. account
  7. report
  8. chronicle
Noun
  • Their pristine state has preserved a chemical record largely untouched by melting or extreme heat.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • East of this zone, the extra warmth is nearing 4 degrees Celsius, beating the previous record event in 1997 by half a degree.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of record
Noun
  • The Lucas Museum pushes that approach further by making storytelling — not chronology, geography or medium — the organizing principle for an entire institution, placing illustration, comics and commercial art inside a curatorial framework.
    — Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • One of the best actors working today, Coon essentially plays two different sides of Rita with astonishing range across these chronologies, portraying the past and the present of her character through distinctive markers.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of chronology
Noun
  • But in order to survive the woods, Murphy will have to dig deep into his wartime past and rely on his own skills and smarts to make out it out intact.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The rapidly approaching future and vanishing past are all around her, which Horgan embodies beautifully in a brief but wrenching scene when Ruari first leaves for school.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of past
Noun
  • Makary's time at the agency was defined by scientific disputes, leadership changes and a string of media stories detailing low morale and internal dysfunction among staffers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a story there, a complicated and disturbing one, but the new Netflix film Unabomber won’t be the one to give it to us.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of story
Noun
  • Postmortem commentaries on the campaign agreed that many factors were at play in Sinclair’s loss — FDR had kept his distance and progressive candidate Raymond Haight siphoned off votes from Sinclair — but Hollywood proudly took credit.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Two years ago, Shen Anyu, a voice actor who earns a living from narrating news commentaries and other short programs, began noticing an alarming number of videos on social-media platforms that seemed to feature his voice without his permission.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of commentary
Noun
  • If the other jurors’ account of the holdout is accurate, the episode illustrates the other side of jury nullification, a familiar feature of American criminal justice.
    — Monu Bedi, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • First, the establishment of a local company and team, then launching official social media accounts, building connections through community events, opening e-commerce channels and ultimately expanding into physical retail.
    — Advertorial, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of account
Noun
  • Russia's permanent diplomatic mission in Geneva declined to comment on the report.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • There were mixed weather reports in the middle of the week, with some predicting rain for Friday night.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of report
Noun
  • Juan Angel, who went on to build a successful landscaping business, struggled with alcoholism, which Rivera chronicles in this narrative that does not shy away from the role addiction played in the life and death of his role model.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Julia Loktev’s continuing chronicle of a group of independent Russian journalists working for the now-rogue news channel TV Rain closes an important emotional loop with its second part, which is even longer than the five-plus-hour first part.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of chronicle

Browse Nearby Words

histories
history
histrionic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“History.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/history. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All