adv · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/hɪˈstɒɹɪkli/
General-American:/hɪˈstɔɹɪkli/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:HH IH0 S T AO1 R IH0 K AH0 L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:HH IH0 S T AO1 R IH0 K L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
In a historic manner; with reference to history or the historical record.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Historically speaking, this company has always collected payment before starting work.
Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adv
Meaning 2
According to history: formerly, in the past, traditionally.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Historically, this company collected payment before starting work.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adv
Meaning 3
To an unprecedented or extremely rare degree.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adverb
Meaning 4
with respect to history
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
this is historically interesting
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adverb
Meaning 5
throughout history
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
historically they have never coexisted peacefully
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From historical + -ly or historic + -ally.
Across languages
Translations
20 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
historikisht
— in a historic manner
Azerbaijani:
tarixən
— in a historic manner
Catalan:
històricament
— in a historic manner
Czech:
historicky
— in a historic manner
Esperanto:
historie
— in a historic manner
Estonian:
ajalooliselt
— in a historic manner
French:
historiquement
— in a historic manner
Galician:
historicamente
— in a historic manner
Georgian:
ისტორიულად
(isṭoriulad)
— in a historic manner
Italian:
storicamente
— in a historic manner
Japanese:
歴史的
(rekishiteki)
— in a historic manner
Norwegian Bokmål:
historisk
— in a historic manner
Norwegian Nynorsk:
historisk
— in a historic manner
Polish:
historycznie
— in a historic manner
Portuguese:
historicamente
— in a historic manner
Romanian:
istoricește
— in a historic manner
Russian:
истори́чески
(istoríčeski)
— in a historic manner
