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historical

adjective
his·​tor·​i·​cal | \ hi-ˈstȯr-i-kəl How to pronounce historical (audio) , -ˈstär-\

Definition of historical

1a : of, relating to, or having the character of history historical data
b : based on history historical novels
c : used in the past and reproduced in historical presentations
2 : famous in history : historic sense a
3a : secondary sense 1c
b : diachronic historical grammar
Other Words from historical Synonyms & Antonyms historic or historical? More Example Sentences Learn More about historical

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Other Words from historical

historicalness \ hi-​ˈstȯr-​i-​kəl-​nəs How to pronounce historicalness (audio) , -​ˈstär-​ \ noun

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 historical in a Sentence

He strove for historical accuracy in the movie. The kings are listed in historical order.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Learn how the friluftsliv philosophy binds together historical and modern Norway as the central way of life for both the ancient Vikings and today’s pastoralists and urbanites. — National Geographic, "Norway Expedition: Nordic Cultures and Arctic Exploration," 10 Sep. 2019 Hatch is in Yale's Directed Studies program, which teaches students how to analyze great texts and write persuasive essays through courses in philosophy, literature, and historical and political thought. — NBC News, "Former Navy SEAL enters Yale as a 52-year-old freshman," 3 Sep. 2019 Hatch is in Yale's Directed Studies program, which teaches students how to analyze great texts and write persuasive essays through courses in philosophy, literature, and historical and political thought. — Fox News, "Former Navy SEAL, 52, who was wounded in Bergdahl mission, heads to Yale as a freshman," 3 Sep. 2019 Hatch is in Yale's Directed Studies program, which teaches students how to analyze great texts and write persuasive essays through courses in philosophy, literature, and historical and political thought. — Pat Eaton-robb, courant.com, "Former Navy SEAL enters Yale as a 52-year-old freshman," 3 Sep. 2019 South Dakota Rapid City: Federal regulators are holding a hearing on a uranium mine proposal that could help resolve a long-running dispute over the potential impact on places of Native American cultural, historical and religious significance. — USA TODAY, "Record grapefruit, light rail win, Snake Road: News from around our 50 states," 29 Aug. 2019 Up until that point, Wang’s experience of documentaries had been limited to historical and wildlife films made by China Central Television (CCTV), the state television broadcaster. — Han Zhang, The New Yorker, "In “One Child Nation,” Nanfu Wang Confronts China’s History, and Her Own," 27 Aug. 2019 Showing girls more role models, historical and present, and telling their stories can help close that gap. — Mallory Hughes, CNN, "Rosa Parks and Sally Ride get their very own Barbie dolls," 26 Aug. 2019 Students research and apply the historical and cultural contributions of photographic masters, past and present, in their own work. — Ramona Sentinel, "Mentors needed to assist Career Technical Education students," 22 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'historical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of historical

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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More Definitions for historical

historical

adjective
How to pronounce historical (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of historical

: of or relating to history
: based on history
: arranged in the order that things happened or came to be

See the full definition for historical in the English Language Learners Dictionary

historical

adjective
his·​tor·​i·​cal | \ hi-ˈstȯr-i-kəl How to pronounce historical (audio) \

Kids Definition of historical

1 : relating to or based on history historical writings
2 : known to be true historical fact

Other Words from historical

historically adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on historical

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with historical

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for historical

Nglish: Translation of historical for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of historical for Arabic Speakers

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