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.

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. Also: secondary. 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 Word Forms

• nonhistoric adjective
• pseudohistoric adjective
• quasi-historic adjective
• semihistoric adjective
• superhistoric adjective
• unhistoric 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

"This is a historic step forward, following in the footsteps of several other European countries," Lola Schulmann, advocacy officer at Amnesty International France, told AFP on Wednesday.

Read more on BBC

First a dairy farm and then part of the historic Buena Vista Winery, the property was acquired by Danish entrepreneur Allan Warburg and three partners in 2008.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Franklin, Tenn., boasts four national and seven local historic districts and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read more on MarketWatch

There are also historic grievances and theirs has always been an uneasy relationship.

Read more on BBC

Hurricane Melissa's winds dipped to a still "powerful" storm, as it passed Tuesday over Jamaica, where it landed with historic ferocity and torrential rains.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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