historical
adjective
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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 historical in a Sentence
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
In a new historical musical by T.C. Lind, Phoebe Kreutz and Derek Gregor, the fabulous ‘50s aren’t so fabulous in Florida.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for historical 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'historical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Historical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historical. Accessed 6 May. 2024.
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historical
adjective
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