historic

adjective

his·​tor·​ic hi-ˈstȯr-ik How to pronounce historic (audio)
-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).

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 museum’s vehicle collection includes all those, plus other historic and influential vehicles. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 Coogler rose to become one of the most in-demand directors in Hollywood after reviving the Rocky franchise with Creed in 2015 and helming the historic Black Panther, released in 2018. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 April 2020 Price: TBD Kinley, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio Nestled between downtown Cincinnati and the city’s trendy and historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, this pet-friendly boutique property is well located near top cultural institutions. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024 Overnight Ian had moved slowly and violently over the state’s interior, dropping historic amounts of rain, after coming ashore in southwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane, its high winds and storm surge flattening coastal communities there. Amy Green, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024 Little illustrated that discord better than the sparse attendance at the retreat: Fewer than 100 of the House’s 219 Republican members trekked out to the historic, luxury Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Right now, the number of Black professional baseball players is at an all-time, historic low. Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 Her performance, and the resulting image — which has come to serve as a symbol for the historic day — was born from a recurring dream that haunted her around the time the protest movement began. Rosa Rahimi, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 Bringing his family front and center on the historic day, he was then joined by his wife and their children on the palace balcony. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'historic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of historic was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near historic

Cite this Entry

“Historic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

historic

adjective
his·​tor·​ic his-ˈtȯr-ik How to pronounce historic (audio)
-ˈtär-
1
2
: famous in history
historic events

More from Merriam-Webster on historic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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