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.

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

Other Word Forms

• historically adverb
• historicalness noun
• antihistorical adjective
• antihistoricalness noun
• nonhistorical adjective
• nonhistoricalness noun
• pseudohistorical adjective
• quasi-historical adjective
• semihistorical adjective
• superhistorical adjective
• unhistorical 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 new body shows that Germany is "assuming its historical responsibility," said Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer.

Read more on Barron's

Vintage postcards show historical views of airports you know today -- and some that no longer exist.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a statement, organisers of the rallies decried the "violence, historical revisionism, and intimidation" of the past months, as the crowds marched with banners and signs.

Read more on Barron's

“While confidence remains strongly positive, it is still below the historical average, suggesting a relatively cautious outlook for growth in the coming months,” she wrote in a report.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Michigan’s governor, in a reversal of the historical pattern, refused to use militia to retake the plant, forcing GM to recognize the UAW.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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