American Dictionary

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Definition historical in American English

historical adjective

adjective
/hɪˈstɔrɪk(ə)l/
1

connected with history or with the past

Example

The painting depicts an actual historical event.

Example

There are no historical precedents for a President resigning in mid-term.

Example

The Abbey is a major historical monument.

Synonyms and related words
1.1

connected with history as a subject of study

Example

historical research/evidence

Example

a question of purely historical interest (=of no importance to people today)

Example

The conflict needs to be put in its historical context to be understood.

Synonyms and related words
1.2

used for describing someone or something as they really existed in the past

Example

The historical Julius Caesar bore little resemblance to Shakespeare's character.

Synonyms and related words
2

a historical novel, movie, etc. is based on people or events that existed in the past

Definition historical in American English