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. See historical
   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

Hotel occupancy in the United States plunged to 44 percent last year, a historic low, according to STR, a travel research company.

From Washington Post

Fortunately, in the midst of all this while I am still waiting, a presidential election with historic results took place in the United States.

From Washington Blade

Loyola wasn’t ranked in the AP or coaches’ poll until it entered this week, and a double-digit seed would be a snub of historic proportions.

From FiveThirtyEight

You’ll disembark at Montana’s East Glacier Park station, then spend three nights at the historic Glacier Park Lodge, built by the Great Northern Railway.

From Outside Online

Local reporter and historian John Muller leads the walk through the neighborhood, which explores historic and contemporary politics, architecture and folklore.

From Washington Blade

And black fury toward cops today is fueled by historic economic disparities and by the economic disaster of the past decade plus.

From The Daily Beast

And, most importantly, homicide was at an historic low, meaning more lives were being saved.

From The Daily Beast

The academic, historic, and geopolitical nonsense that Khomeinism equals Iran has lasted long enough.

From The Daily Beast

A historic hilltop village in Sicily is selling homes for $1.25 each in exchange for long-term investment and restoration.

From The Daily Beast

That is the path followed by the nonprofit Global Heritage Fund as it raises funds to protect historic sites.

From The Daily Beast

And he wished also to restore her to her natural setting, with the greatest degree of historic accuracy.

From Project Gutenberg

In the historic record of Jacob's life no account is given of God's making an oath to him.

From Project Gutenberg

Lifted to the skies for an hour by popular adulation, he has been sunk into obscurity ever since by historic contempt.

From Project Gutenberg

The goldfields of Australia are historic, and the silver, lead and zinc mines of Broken Hill deserve particular mention.

From Project Gutenberg

The road from London to Southampton is one of the oldest in the Kingdom and passes many places of historic interest.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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