historical

historical — adjective

1. relating to or based on the study of past events, people, or societies — for exa

1.形容詞B1
釋義

relating to or based on the study of past events, people, or societies — for example, historical research, historical novels, or historical documents that preserve factual accounts of earlier times.

例句

The museum's historical exhibit traces the city's growth from a small fishing village.

attributive use: historical + noun

Professor Obi specialises in historical linguistics and how languages change over time.

collocation: historical + academic field

同義詞
  • past

    broader and more everyday; 'past events' can be recent or ancient, while 'historical' carries a sense of documented record

  • recorded

    emphasises written or documented evidence rather than any connection to the past

  • archival

    narrower scope, specifically referring to preserved records in an archive

反義詞
  • contemporary

    referring to the present time rather than the past

  • current

    emphasises present-day relevance rather than past events

用法筆記

Most commonly placed before a noun. 'Historical' simply means 'related to the past,' while 'historic' carries the extra meaning of being important or famous in history — a historic battle versus a historical novel.

常見錯誤

❌That castle is very historical.
✅That castle is very historic.
💡when you mean it is important and famous in history, use 'historic,' not 'historical.'

2. relating to prices, amounts, or other numerical information that was recorded in

2.形容詞B2
釋義

relating to prices, amounts, or other numerical information that was recorded in the past, often used as a basis for comparison with current figures.

例句

Investors studied the company's historical sales figures before making a decision.

collocation: historical + figures / data

The bank uses historical interest rates to predict future trends.

同義詞
  • past

    more general and less technical; 'past data' is simpler but lacks the analytical tone of 'historical data'

  • previous

    focuses on the immediately preceding period rather than any past time

  • prior

    formal and often refers to a specific earlier period in a sequence

反義詞
  • current

    describes present-day rather than past figures

  • projected

    refers to future estimates, the opposite of past records

用法筆記

Appears before nouns such as data, prices, values, costs, and figures. Common in business reports, financial analysis, and statistical comparisons where past numbers are set against present ones.

3. describing a crime or illegal act that was committed at some earlier time, often

3.形容詞B2
釋義

describing a crime or illegal act that was committed at some earlier time, often one that was not investigated or prosecuted when it occurred.

例句

The police arrested him for a historical crime that took place over a decade ago.

collocation: historical + crime / offence

New evidence led to the reopening of several historical cases of fraud.

同義詞
  • past

    less formal and not specific to legal contexts; 'past crimes' is everyday language

  • prior

    formal, but does not carry the same legal nuance of a long-unresolved offence

反義詞
  • recent

    describes offences that happened a short time ago

  • fresh

    informal; emphasises that the crime just took place

用法筆記

Most frequent in legal and journalistic writing, especially with nouns such as crime, offence, allegation, abuse, and case. This sense is especially common in British legal contexts for offences that happened long before they came to court.