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
- nonhistoric adjective
- pseudohistoric adjective
- quasi-historic adjective
- semihistoric adjective
- superhistoric adjective
- unhistoric adjective
Etymology
Origin of historic
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin historicus, from Greek historikós “historical, scientific,” from histor(ía) “inquiry” ( history ) + -ikos -ic
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.
His expulsion marked only the first of several controversies in which he would find himself embroiled, while also forging a historic career.
From Los Angeles Times
He also hailed this week as "historic" for Ukraine, thanking Europe for pledging $100 billion of funding over the next two years.
From Barron's
This “lock-in effect” has helped freeze the housing market for three straight years, suppressing the number of U.S. homes for sale and keeping inventory well below historic levels for most of that period.
A historic city celebrating the birthday of a nation.
Despite the historic moment, the awards show was not without technical glitches.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
