historic

[ hi-stawr-ik, -stor- ]

adjective

1. well-known or important in history:

   a historic building;

   historic occasions.

   Synonyms: memorable, famed, famous, renowned, notable

2. historical ( defs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ).

historic

/ hɪˈstɒrɪk /

adjective

1. famous or likely to become famous in history; significant
2. a less common word for historical historical historical historical historical
3. Alsosecondary linguistics (of Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit verb tenses) referring to past time

Usage

A distinction is usually made between historic (important, significant) and historical (pertaining to history): a historic decision; a historical perspective

Other Words From

• nonhis·toric adjective
• pseudo·his·toric adjective
• quasi-his·toric adjective
• semi·his·toric adjective
• super·his·toric adjective
• unhis·toric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of historic¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin historicus, from Greek historikós “historical, scientific,” from histor(ía) “inquiry” ( history ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Dawson City is a town of 2,400, known for being the heart of the historic Klondike Gold Rush that began in 1896.

From BBC

In film and television, Nazis, historic and contemporary, remain the ultimate villain, but we really love to hate the British Bad Guy.

From Los Angeles Times

"I think staff and students are potentially being thrown under a bus because of the historic mismanagement of the institution."

From BBC

A row has broken out at COP29 climate talks as leading countries said a draft deal risked going back on a historic agreement to reduce the use of planet-warming fossil fuels.

From BBC

Women's teams have officially made the historic step of becoming "fully aligned" with the men's game at the announcement of the T20 Blast fixtures for 2025.

From BBC

Related Words

• consequential
• extraordinary
• famous
• important
• memorable
• significant