nocturnal
adjective
noc·tur·nal
näk-ˈtər-nᵊl 
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the night
a nocturnal journey
nocturnal activities
2
: active at night
a nocturnal predator
nocturnal insects, such as mosquitoes
Examples of nocturnal in a Sentence
he bought a new telescope so he could pursue his favorite nocturnal hobby of astronomy
Recent Examples on the Web
The department shared a photo from the rescue on Facebook the following day, showing the tiny nocturnal mammal with its face uncomfortably scrunched into the hole of a storm drain.
—
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Found in Assam and Meghalaya states, this nocturnal frog was identified by its call, size, and eye color.
—Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
Native to the open prairies of the Great Plains, these elusive, nocturnal predators rely almost entirely on prairie dogs for both food and shelter.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Early mammals were small, strictly nocturnal, and altogether less showy–verging on downright drab, as supported by a study published March 13 in the journal Science.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nocturnal
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Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Found in Assam and Meghalaya states, this nocturnal frog was identified by its call, size, and eye color.
—Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
Native to the open prairies of the Great Plains, these elusive, nocturnal predators rely almost entirely on prairie dogs for both food and shelter.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Early mammals were small, strictly nocturnal, and altogether less showy–verging on downright drab, as supported by a study published March 13 in the journal Science.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nocturnal
Cite this Entry
“Nocturnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nocturnal. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nocturnal
adjective
noc·tur·nal
näk-ˈtərn-ᵊl
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the night
a nocturnal journey
2
: active at night
nocturnal insects
Etymology
from early French nocturnal, nocturnel or Latin nocturnalis, both meaning "nocturnal," derived from earlier Latin noct-, nox "night" — related to equinox
Medical Definition
nocturnal
adjective
noc·tur·nal
näk-ˈtərn-ᵊl
1
: of, relating to, or occurring at night
nocturnal myoclonus
2
: characterized by nocturnal activity
a nocturnal form of filariasis
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