historical
adjective
Did you know?
historic or historical?
Do you experience a slight pause before using either of these words as you try to remember which one is correct and whether it should be preceded by an or a? If so, you’re not alone, for many people find this pair particularly tricky. Historic and historical are both occasionally found preceded by an, since the initial h in each word was formerly left unpronounced. Now this h is heard, and a is far more common than an (by a ratio of about 4 to 1 in American English).
Historic and historical have been used interchangeably by many writers, even in recent years. If you would like to avoid being corrected, however, use historical for matters relating to history (the historical society), and historic to refer to things having great and lasting importance (a historic occasion).
Examples of historical in a Sentence
James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Grant Ekelund, an expert with InsideAsia Tours and a Travel + Leisure A-List Travel Advisors member, told T+L there are still plenty of activities and historical sites to visit.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2025
While China and Russia have renovated their historical nuclear test sites in recent years, only North Korea has detonated nuclear weapons since 1998.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
The 1800s abode still had its distinct historical exterior and solid bones, but to create the best space to accommodate their family, Mattingly and Botkins completely gutted its interior.
—Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for historical
Cite this Entry
“Historical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historical. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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historical
adjective
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