historic
hih-STO-rihk
Historic (adj) means Important or significant enough to be remembered in history. Example: “The signing of the treaty was a historic moment.”
adj
1
Important or significant enough to be remembered in history.
"The signing of the treaty was a historic moment."
"They visited several historic sites during their trip to Rome."
"The town's historic bridge is protected and cannot be knocked down."
How to use historic
Learner’s notes
Common mistake
"Historic" means important or notable in history; "historical" simply means related to history or the past, whether important or not. A "historic building" is significant; a "historical document" is just from the past.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
historic occasion
historic building
historic victory
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Word forms
- Plural
- historics
- Comparative
- more historic
- Superlative
- most historic
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The signing of the treaty was a _____ moment.
Etymology
From Latin historicus, from Greek historikós ("exact, historical").
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for historic
See all rhymes for historic →Frequently asked questions
What does “historic” mean?
The word “historic” means important or significant enough to be remembered in history.
How do you pronounce “historic”?
“Historic” is pronounced hih-STO-rihk (/hɪˈstɔɹɪk/ in IPA).
How do you use “historic” in a sentence?
Here is “historic” used in a sentence: “The signing of the treaty was a historic moment.”
What is another word for “historic”?
Words with a similar meaning to “historic” include notable, significant, landmark, momentous, groundbreaking and dated.
What is the opposite of “historic”?
The opposite of “historic” — its antonyms — is unhistoric.
What part of speech is “historic”?
“Historic” is an adjective.
Where does the word “historic” come from?
The word “historic” comes from Latin. From Latin historicus, from Greek historikós ("exact, historical").
Is “historic” a common word?
“Historic” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
What is the difference between historic and historical?
Historic means important enough to be remembered in history — a historic election, a historic victory. Historical simply means relating to the past or to history — historical records, a historical novel. In short, historic is momentous, while historical is anything to do with history, momentous or not.
What is an example of something historic?
The moon landing was a historic event, and the signing of a peace treaty can be a historic moment. A building can be historic if a famous event happened there. In each case the thing is not just old but significant enough to be remembered.
Is it "a historic" or "an historic"?
Modern usage prefers "a historic," because the h is pronounced. "An historic" is an older, formal habit from when the h was often silent, and some writers still use it, but "a historic event" is the standard choice today.
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