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
Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
The decrease is attributed to historical inventory adjustments and a new bill of material system implementation.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024
On Monday, the main reservoirs were at 111% of historical capacity for this date, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
Native Americans are so often talked about in this historical context and not in the contemporary.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Historical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historical. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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historical
adjective
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