Etymology From Latin historicus (“historical”), from Ancient Greek ἱστορικός (historikós, “exact; historical”). Cognate with French historique. By surface analysis, history + -ic.
1
Very important; noteworthy: having importance or significance in history.
A historic opportunity
July 4, 1776, is a historic date. A great deal of historical research has been done on the events leading up to that day.
3 more examples
The historical works of Lord Macaulay and Edward Gibbon are in and of themselves historic.
Alongside the nature targets, countries reached a historic agreement to develop a financial mechanism for sharing the benefits from drug discoveries, vaccines and food products that come from digital forms of biodiversity, known as digital sequence information or DSI, after rows about biopiracy in the lead-up to Cop15.2022 December 19, Patrick Greenfield, Phoebe Weston, “Cop15: historic deal struck to halt biodiversity loss by 2030”, in The Guardian:
Derrick Lewis […] told The Journal he felt that he was participating in something historic. “This is one of the events they’ll be talking about 100 years from now,” he said. He could be right, but not in the way he thinks.2026 June 15, Michelle Goldberg, “The UFC 250 Was a Garish Spectacle of American Decline”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
2
Old-fashioned, untouched by modernity.
Sights are thick sown in the counties of York and Nottingham: the former is more historic.1756 August, Horace Walpole, letter republished in Private Correspondence (1820), Vol. II, No. 1
3
Uncommon Synonym of historical: of, concerning, or in accordance with recorded history or the past generally (See usage notes.)
An high-pac'd Muse treading a lofty march, leades honor enchaind in an Epique pen, grac'd with the furtherance of historique Clio.1594, John Dickenson, Arisbas, Euphues amidst his slumbers; or, Cupids iourney to hell:
4
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Various grammatical tenses and moods specially used in retelling past events.
The historic tenses include the imperfect, the pluperfect, and the future perfect.
Etymology From Latin historicus (“historical”), from Ancient Greek ἱστορικός (historikós, “exact; historical”). Cognate with French historique. By surface analysis, history + -ic.
1
Obsolete A history, a non-fiction account of the past.
Before the beginnyng of this historic, I haue thought good by waie of a Proeme, to introduce the wordes of an excellent writer called Lodouicus Caelius Rhodoginus.1566, William Painter, chapter XI, in The Palace of Pleasure Beautified, volume I: