historic
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).
Examples of historic in a Sentence
Carl David Goette-Luciak, Miami Herald, 23 July 2025
At least 135 people were killed in Texas during the historic July 4 flooding, more than 100 of them in Kerr County where children’s camps and RV parks sat on the banks of the Guadalupe.
—Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 23 July 2025
Located in the historic French Quarter, the cathedral is part of a broader cultural landscape that includes jazz institutions such as Preservation Hall, the Maple Leaf Bar, and Kermit's Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Willis Show Bar, located in Detroit's historic Cass Corridor, is temporarily closing its doors for the remainder of the summer, citing rising operational costs in a post on Facebook.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for historic
Cite this Entry
“Historic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historic. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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historic
adjective
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