nocturnal

adjective

näk-ˈtər-nᵊl How to pronounce nocturnal (audio)
Definition of nocturnalnext
as in night
of, relating to, or occurring in the night he bought a new telescope so he could pursue his favorite nocturnal hobby of astronomy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nocturnal Owls are nocturnal, so birders have been flocking up to the site at night, hoping to catch a glimpse. — Nick Caloway, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 The clock had just hit 10 am, and Arthur Leung was the kind of borderline nocturnal computer person who never crawled into the sunlight before eleven except for emergencies. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 That can include wild animals that seem unusually tame, nocturnal animals that are out in the day, and pets that have trouble walking, eating or a significant change in personality. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026 Five nightly wrist measurements detected nocturnal hypertension in 27-39% of participants, compared with 26% for single-night ambulatory monitoring. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nocturnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nocturnal
  1. night
  2. midnight
Adjective
  • The rivalry game has been played at night in each of the past six seasons, while the last non-night meeting in Baton Rouge came in 2010.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Along the way, The Brutalist filmmaker Brady Corbet shot Byrne’s multi-night stint at Baltimore’s Hippodrome on 70mm film for an upcoming concert picture.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of night
Adjective
  • The measure passed in a post-midnight session by unanimous consent, meaning no members objected.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
  • The post-midnight announcement came after signs of a rift among Iranian officials as the country awaited a decision by the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics that selects the supreme leader.
    — Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Definition of midnight

Browse Nearby Words

noctambulists
nocturnal
nocuous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nocturnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nocturnal. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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