nocturnal

adjective

noc·tur·nal näk-ˈtər-nᵊl

: of, relating to, or occurring in the night

a nocturnal journey

nocturnal activities

: active at night

a nocturnal predator

nocturnal insects, such as mosquitoes

nocturnally

näk-ˈtər-nᵊl-ē

adverb

Example Sentences

he bought a new telescope so he could pursue his favorite nocturnal hobby of astronomy

Recent Examples on the Web Tamanduas are mostly nocturnal and cannot see very well.

Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 13 Oct. 2022 The black ghost knifefish is, as its name implies, a nocturnal hunter.

Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 The ghost bat is a nocturnal hunter that uses a combination of keen eyesight and echolocation to hunt and catch prey, wrapping its winglike arms around it, and in the case of budgies (a type of small parrot), eating it head-first.

Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2022 The nocturnal hunter appears to be targeting the city's plentiful downtown rat population.

CBS News, 11 Jan. 2022 The nocturnal hunter appears to be targeting the city’s plentiful downtown rat population.

Christina Larson, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2022 The nocturnal hunter appears to be targeting the city’s plentiful downtown rat population.

Christina Larson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Jan. 2022 The nocturnal hunter appears to be targeting the city’s plentiful downtown rat population.

Christina Larson, ajc, 10 Jan. 2022 Neither plan on getting much sleep during the competition, as pythons are nocturnal, meaning the best time for hunting is late at night.

Mary Pflum, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nocturnal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French nocturnel, borrowed from Late Latin nocturnālis "for night use," from Latin nocturnus "of or occurring at night" (from noct-, nox night entry 1 + -urnus, temporal suffix, as in diurnus "of the day") + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at journal