historic
adjective
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
Examples of historic in a Sentence
Degen Pener, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Speaking after his historic win, Scheffler dished out special praise to his support system at home in Dallas.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
There, Biden and Kishida toasted to messages of unity.
MORE: US, Japan to make 'historic' announcements at summit, including on defense and AI: Official
On Thursday, Biden will host a trilateral meeting with Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Will Fisher, president of the Prescott group, often rides in the float, tossing candy to children in the historic Mexican city that's about a two-hour drive southeast of Lukeville.
—The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
And that sentiment interacts with South Korea's slowing economy and historic sexism, according to Evans.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The historic success, the personal downfall, the epic comeback, the car accident that nearly claimed his life.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The historic site has become a symbol of Berlin’s division and, later, its reunification following the Cold War.
—Sophia Compton, Fox News, 10 Apr. 2024
Despite his historic selection, Dwight was not ultimately chosen for the NASA Astronaut Corps, missing out on the opportunity to fly to space.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 10 Apr. 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
1594, in the meaning defined above
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And should you use 'a' or 'an' before each one?
Dictionary Entries Near historic
Cite this Entry
“Historic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historic. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
historic
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on historic
Nglish: Translation of historic for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of historic for Arabic Speakers
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