What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Historical vs Dormant - What's the difference?

historical | dormant |

As adjectives the difference between historical and dormant

is that historical is pertaining to the history, to what happened in the past while dormant is inactive, sleeping, asleep, suspended.

As a noun historical

is a historical romance.

historical

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Pertaining to the history, to what happened in the past.
  • Usage notes

    * * See the usage notes about (m) for more.

    Synonyms

    * historic

    Derived terms

    * ahistorical * art-historical

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A historical romance.
  • * 1999 , Anne K. Kaler, Rosemary E. Johnson-Kurek, Romantic Conventions , page 63:
  • However, as regular romance readers know, the romance novels that appear on the best-seller lists are not Harlequins at all, but rather historicals and contemporaries, which vary widely from the Harlequin pattern in style, plot, and character.

    dormant

    English

    Alternative forms

    * dormaunt (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Inactive, sleeping, asleep, suspended.
  • Grass goes dormant during the winter, waiting for spring before it grows again.
    The bank account was dormant ; there had been no transactions in months.
    This volcano is dormant but not extinct.
  • * Burke
  • It is by lying dormant a long time, or being very rarely exercised, that arbitrary power steals upon a people.
  • (heraldry) In a sleeping posture; distinguished from couchant.
  • a lion dormant

    Antonyms

    * active * active, extinct

    Anagrams

    * ----