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 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.
The ambitious project has supporters, though, who see a historic opportunity to turn an old railroad into a regional asset — even if some of them question how it’s being developed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
During his visit to the Uzbek city of Samarkand, an emblematic stop on the historic Silk Road, Rubio will participate in a C5+1 meeting with ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Much of the historic success of positional play has been underpinned by that same idea – finding the free player.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The book includes a gallery of images of major chefs and food writers, period postcards and package labels, historic restaurant menus, and paraphernalia such as wooden cookie molds and handsome serving vessels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Then, in 1973, a team of scientists from Duke University’s Maritime Laboratory found the historic ironclad.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
