adjective
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famous or likely to become famous in history; significant
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a less common word for historical historical historical historical historical
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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
Etymology
Origin of historic
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin historicus, from Greek historikós “historical, scientific,” from histor(ía) “inquiry” ( see history) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Something that's historic was important in its day and continues to be studied and remembered, like the historic integration of segregated schools and the historic March on Washington in 1963. When you describe something that's historic, it's either the first or the only of its kind. Historic moments are so important or momentous that they'll show up in history textbooks. A building can be historic, and so can a speech or a battle or a disaster. The root word is the Greek historia, "a learning by inquiry or history," although historic specifically means "important in history."
Vocabulary lists containing historic
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Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Commonly Confused Words, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We’re in a pivotal moment of a historic AI investment cycle,” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said in a statement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
“The historic problem with data dependence is the data and the dependence,” he said last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
In a statement, it said any future application regarding a listed building would need to be decided according to relevant legislation, planning policy and the local authority's duty to protect the historic environment.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Navigating the web of nearby structures, like active rail lines and historic bridges, is part of what makes the construction so complex, Metro says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Under the terms of the International Antarctic Treaty, the Endurance shipwreck is a designated historic monument and must not be disturbed in any way.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
