historical

[ hi-stawr-i-kuhl, -stor- ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, treating, or characteristic of history or past events:

   historical records;

   historical research.

2. based on or reconstructed from an event, custom, style, etc., in the past:

   a historical reenactment of the battle of Gettysburg.

3. having once existed or lived in the real world, as opposed to being part of legend or fiction or as distinguished from religious belief:

   Scholars doubt that a historical Camelot ever existed.

   Her thesis was an overview of how theologians have studied the historical Jesus.

   Synonyms: factual, authentic

4. narrated or mentioned in history; belonging to the past:

   He cited several historical examples of international conflict resolution.

5. relating to or involving analysis based on a comparison among several periods of development of a phenomenon, as in language or economics:

   She taught a course in historical linguistics.

6. historic ( def 1 ).

historical

/ hɪˈstɒrɪkəl /

adjective

1. belonging to or typical of the study of history

   historical methods

2. concerned with or treating of events of the past

   historical accounts

3. based on or constituting factual material as distinct from legend or supposition
4. based on or inspired by history

   a historical novel

5. occurring or prominent in history
6. a less common word for historic

Derived Forms

• hisˈtoricalness, noun
• hisˈtorically, adverb

Other Words From

• his·tor·i·cal·ly adverb
• his·tor·i·cal·ness noun
• an·ti·his·tor·i·cal adjective
• an·ti·his·tor·i·cal·ness noun
• non·his·tor·i·cal adjective
• non·his·tor·i·cal·ness noun
• pseu·do·his·tor·i·cal adjective
• qua·si-his·tor·i·cal adjective
• sem·i·his·tor·i·cal adjective
• su·per·his·tor·i·cal adjective
• un·his·tor·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of historical¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin historic(us) historic ( def ) + -al ¹( def )

Example Sentences

The country performer’s stories about music are rife with the minute observations and historical tidbits absorbed and disseminated by die-hard fans.

From Los Angeles Times

But, "political and partisan conflicts between the president and senators have at times produced dramatic fights over cabinet nominees and led to their ultimate withdrawal or rejection," the Senate's historical website notes.

From BBC

Northern responded by withdrawing all live prosecutions against those pursued in similar circumstances and promised to review historical cases.

From BBC

Among this revival’s many virtues is its own impeccable historical timing.

From Los Angeles Times

The girl is also at the centre of an abduction plot - something community leader Sue-Anne Hunter called a "particularly insensitive choice", given the "painful historical context" of the Stolen Generations.

From BBC

Related Words

• actual
• ancient
• archival
• classical
• factual
• real