historic

adjective

his·​tor·​ic hi-ˈstȯr-ik 

-ˈstär-

: historical: such as

a

: famous or important in history

historic battlefields

b

: having great and lasting importance

a historic occasion

c

: known or established in the past

historic interest rates

d

: dating from or preserved from a past time or culture

historic buildings

historic artifacts

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 of historic

• major
• important
• significant
• big
• monumental

Examples of historic in a Sentence

It's wonderful to see so many people here on this historic occasion.

She returned safely from her historic flight into space.

The court made a historic decision last week.

They know of many historic volcanic eruptions in the area.

the historic importance of the river

Recent Examples on the Web

Second is to improve the innovation engine, third is to restore topline growth to the company’s historic rates and last, to continue to protect and enhance the brands. — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

That has reduced the group’s historic dependence on the office market. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

What to do nearby The hotel sits in a prime position between the sleek towers of the Porta Nuova neighborhood and the city’s historic center. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

When the all-girls boarding school for young witches first appeared on the show, the historic Buckner Mansion in New Orleans was used for exterior shots, underscoring Coven’s spooky Southern Gothic aesthetic. — Mekita Rivas, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for historic

• caloric
• dysphoric
• euphoric
• plethoric
• pyloric
• anaphoric
• metaphoric
• meteoric
• paregoric
• prehistoric
• pyrophoric
• boric

Kids Definition

historic

adjective

his·​tor·​ic his-ˈtȯr-ik 

-ˈtär-

1

: historical sense 1

2

: famous in history

historic events