Words / B1

hi-STOR-ikl/hɪˈstɒrɪkl/

Historical means connected with the past or the study of history: historical data; a historical novel. Historic (already in the dictionary) means famous or important in history (a historic victory). Do not mix them: a historical society studies history; a historic moment is a landmark. Exam trap: historic vs historical.

Meaning

Connected with the past, or based on history (compare historic = famous in history).

Examples

• “Use historical data from the last census, not a guess.”
• “It was a historic victory, which is the “landmark” word, not historical.”

Good to know

historical data / novel / research. Landmark: historic. Trap: historic vs historical. Subject: history. Novel set in the past: historical fiction.

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