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

The record may come as no surprise after a summer marked by extreme weather, from wildfires to floods, and on the cusp of what scientists believe will be a historic El Niño. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2026

As redevelopment of the historic Brookhill Village complex in South End moves forward, developers are looking for funds to extend and beautify roadways in the enclave. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026

Next to it is a tailor’s measuring tape, an evocative tribute to the brand’s first historic campaign. — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

With a very strong El Niño climate pattern predicted this winter, experts expect significant — and possibly historic — damage on the California coast. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 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