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

History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and …

Historic means ‘important or likely to be important in history’: … It is also the case that historic preservation virtually never operates this way either. He also undertakes an innovative survey of …

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 …

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 …

Oct 23, 2025 · Adjective historic (comparative more historic, superlative most historic) Very important; noteworthy: having importance or significance in history.

May 11, 2025 · Historic describes events, objects, or places important to history, like Anne Frank's house. Historical refers to anything from the past, even if it's not important, like a soldier's breakfast. …

There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word historic, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

HISTORIC meaning: 1 : famous or important in history; 2 : having great and lasting importance