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 The shy, nocturnal creatures seem to be staying high in the canopy rather than coming down to feed, but then one of the rangers asks us to follow them as quickly and quietly as possible. — Claire Turrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026 Then the team tried it during the dark phase, when nocturnal mice are mostly awake. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2026 What was hard about this one wasn’t the chaos of the children, but the chaos of the weather and being nocturnal for however many months. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026 If hunting pressure is heavy, animals may be nocturnal, or nearly so. — Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nocturnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nocturnal
  1. night
  2. midnight
Adjective
  • 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
  • Book a pre-night hotel stay after overnight flights.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
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 10 Oct. 2026.

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