Nocturnal
adjective /nɒkˈtɜːnəl/ — Of the night — belonging to or active in darkness.
Definition
Done, occurring, or active at night; of or relating to the night; (of an animal) active or hunting at night rather than during the day.
Beyond the definition
Nocturnal is not just biological — it describes a sensibility. The person who thinks more clearly at 2am, who finds cities more honest in darkness, who belongs more completely to the night: they're nocturnal in a way that has nothing to do with owls.
Origin & history
From Latin nocturnalis — of the night (from nox, noctis: night). The root shared with 'nocturne', the musical piece for nighttime. The night as an entire realm with its own characteristics.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She was nocturnal by temperament — ideas came more easily after midnight, when the daytime noise had settled.
The nocturnal city is a different city: quieter, more honest, with its edges visible.
Nocturnal animals have evolved for darkness — larger eyes, heightened hearing, a different relationship with visibility.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Nocturnal” when the meaning fits your context: Done, occurring, or active at night; of or relating to the night; (of an animal) active or hunting at night rather than during the day.
Synonyms
night-active, nighttime, after-dark, vespertine
Antonyms
diurnal, daytime, matinal
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Illustrative example
Young owls perched in tree
Three young owls are perched closely together in a tree, their features clear in the dim light.
Owls are classic nocturnal creatures. Their presence in the tree during a period of low, fading light signifies the shift toward the night.
Image credit: Apu Jaman · CC BY-SA 4.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a fitted crop.
Questions about this word
What does "Nocturnal" mean?
Nocturnal is adjective meaning: Of the night — belonging to or active in darkness.. Done, occurring, or active at night; of or relating to the night; (of an animal) active or hunting at night rather than during the day.
Where does the word "Nocturnal" come from?
From Latin nocturnalis — of the night (from nox, noctis: night). The root shared with 'nocturne', the musical piece for nighttime. The night as an entire realm with its own characteristics.