Historical is used as the general term for describing history, such as 'the historical record,' while historic is now usually reserved for important and famous moments in history, such as 'a historic battle.'

HISTORIC definition: 1. important or likely to be important in history: 2. A historic offence is one that was committed…. Learn more.

HISTORIC definition: well-known or important in history. See examples of historic used in a sentence.

Historic refers to that which is associated with significant events in history: the historic first voyage to the moon. Thus, a historic house is likely to be of interest not just because it is relatively old, but because …

Something that is historic is important in history, or likely to be considered important at some time in the future. King gave this historic speech the night before he was assassinated. ...a fourth historic …

Oct 23, 2025 · As such, historic is used to describe people, things, and events that are or will be considered important by future historians, while historical is used for people, things, and events in the …

Definition of historic adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.