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

Critics point to congestion, pressure on infrastructure, air pollution and the visual impact of large vessels in historic and environmentally sensitive areas. —David Nikel, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Accessibility As a historic building, with construction dating from the 11th to 18th centuries, there are many slopes and stairs though none that are too challenging. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026

Wander around the quaint cobblestone streets of historic Tribeca before heading back to cozy up on a red banquette in the brasserie with a bowl of French onion soup. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026

National Archives and Records Administration The exhibit features a number of historic papers, including an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence, printed from a copperplate of the original. —Anna Alejo, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for historic

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

Kids Definition

historic

adjective

his·​tor·​ic his-ˈtȯr-ik 

-ˈtär-

1

: historical sense 1

2

: famous in history

historic events