historical
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
related to the study of history as a subject.
pertaining to the academic discipline or scholarly methods of history.
Simple“The professor shared some interesting historical documents with the class.”
In context“The researchers conducted a thorough historical analysis of the trade routes to understand how the city grew so wealthy.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
describing a book or movie that takes place in a specific time in the past.
denoting a subgenre of fiction, such as a novel or film, that is set in a specific period of the past.
Simple“She loves reading historical novels about life in the nineteenth century.”
In context“The director was praised for the historical accuracy of the costumes and set design in his latest film about the French Revolution.”
Usagecommonly used in the phrases 'historical fiction' or 'historical drama'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
related to how a language has changed over a long time.
relating to the study of the development of a language over time.
Simple“The teacher explained the historical reasons why English spelling is so difficult.”
In context“Historical linguistics allows us to trace the evolution of modern European languages back to a common ancestor.”
Usageoften used in the term 'historical linguistics'.
SynonymsdiachronicAntonymssynchronic
historical vs historic — Historic describes something famous or important in history, while historical describes anything related to the past.
Usage historical events · historical records · historical memory
From Latin historicus (“historical”) + -al (forming adjectives denoting of or relating to). By surface analysis, history + -ical.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.