Historic vs Historical
Published January 23, 2023. Updated January 23, 2023.
Historic and historical are two words that sound similar but have different meanings. Historic is an adjective that refers to something “important or with the potential to be so.” Historical, on the other hand, is an adjective that refers to “something related to past events or history.”
Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Historic (adjective)
Something important or momentous in history.
Examples:
There has been a historic turnout for voters in the last few elections.
Gas prices are currently at a historic high due to a number of reasons.
Remember that events or people that are historic are important to history, but they can also describe current occurrences that have the potential to be impactful.
Historical (adjective)
Something related to past events or history.
Examples:
There is no historical record of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but the legend persists regardless.
I really enjoyed the movie thanks to its historical accuracy.
Historical refers to something that is related to past events or an earlier period in history.
Main Points
- Historic is an adjective that describes an important event or moment in history.
- Historical is an adjective that describes something related to history itself.
- Think of the difference between each word in terms of scale. Historic is in reference to a single moment or occurrence, whereas historical is related to history as a broad concept.