Historic or historical: which is correct?
Correct
historic (important in history) / historical (relating to history)
Avoid
historical (for "momentous": "a historical victory")
Avoid
historic (for "about history": "historic novels")
Summary
Correct: historic (important in history) / historical (relating to history) — Avoid: historical (for "momentous": "a historical victory") / historic (for "about history": "historic novels"). Historic = famous or important in history, momentous; historical = concerning history or past events, belonging to the past.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Source
- Oxford
Why
Oxford: historic means significant in history (a historic agreement); historical means relating to history (historical research, historical novels). Something can be historical without being historic.
Examples
- The signing of the treaty was a historic moment.
- She writes historical novels set in the 1920s.
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