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

And in the last year, two historic venues, the Conga Room and the Mayan, closed permanently.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That decision applied to an old historic district but could set a precedent for the entire island.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Americans near historic test sites such as the Nevada National Security Site have no cause for concern," Wright said.

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Mr Price said working in such a historic town presented a number of difficulties but two areas had proved particularly testing.

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The upcoming election will include the autonomous region of Kurdistan, where the historic rivalry between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan remains fierce.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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