nocturnal
adjective
noc·tur·nal
| \ näk-ˈtər-nᵊl
\
\
Definition of nocturnal
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
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Other Words from nocturnal
nocturnally
\ -nᵊl-ē
\
adverb
\
adverb
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 area surrounding our hotel was attractive during the daytime, but after nightfall the city transformed itself into a nocturnal kaleidoscope of color, especially down by the bay. — Doug Hansen, chicagotribune.com, "Beautifully modern Singapore," 20 Aug. 2019 Nighttime lights alter birds’ nocturnal migrations. — Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "These fish eggs aren't hatching. The culprit? Light pollution.," 9 July 2019 The nocturnal runners' delight, the Associated Bank Storm the Bastille Run/Walk, begins at 9 p.m. Thursday. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The bands, the run, the Hop stop and everything else you need to know for Bastille Days in Milwaukee," 8 July 2019 The species is a nocturnal worm native to New Guinea, according to TISI. — Fox News, "Texas woman discovers horde of black worms known to carry dangerous parasite in backyard," 4 July 2019 Enjoy the nocturnal sounds of one of Alabama’s biggest treasures on a two-hour paddle of a deep, calm section of the river guided by the moonlight and fireflies. — al.com, "July Fourth events (and more) to attend this month," 2 July 2019 The aye-aye is a nocturnal lemur native to Madagascar who mostly preys on wood-boring insects. — Linda Rodriguez Mcrobbie, BostonGlobe.com, "These animals are so ugly. But we need them.," 2 Aug. 2019 The trap was set midday, but raccoons being nocturnal creatures, didn’t spring until about 9:30 that night. — Dennis Pillion, al, "Trash pandas are cute, until they move into your attic," 1 Aug. 2019 To stay safe in rattlesnake country, Ramirez recommends bringing dogs in at night to avoid confrontations with nocturnal snakes and carefully scouting property before working in the garden or sending children out to play. — Scott Strazzante, SFChronicle.com, "Rattlesnake wrangler constantly on call to remove, relocate snakes," 28 July 2019These 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.
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More Definitions for nocturnal
nocturnal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of nocturnal
: active mainly during the night
formal
: happening at night
See the full definition for nocturnal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
nocturnal
adjective
noc·tur·nal
| \ näk-ˈtər-nᵊl
\
\
Kids Definition of nocturnal
1
: happening at night
a nocturnal journey
2
: active at night
nocturnal insects
nocturnal
adjective
noc·tur·nal
| \ näk-ˈtərn-ᵊl
\
\
Medical Definition of nocturnal
1
: of, relating to, or occurring at night
nocturnal myoclonus
2
: characterized by nocturnal activity
a nocturnal form of filariasis
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