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

Among her contingent of Britpop fans here, she sees parallels to another group’s historic sweep of American stadiums.

From Los Angeles Times

The nation’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.3%, while remaining at historic lows.

From Salon

Claims for unemployment payments also ticked up this week, while Friday's report put the unemployment rate at the highest level since October 2021, although it is still not far from historic lows.

From BBC

Housing Department General Manager Tiena Johnson Hall called it “historic moment,” saying that the funding will go toward not only new construction, but housing preservation and operating assistance funding.

From Los Angeles Times

But in today's fragmented political landscape in which the combined poll ratings for Conservative and Labour are at an historic low, it could be.

From BBC

Related Words

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