Meaning

(of a person, creature, group, or species) Primarily active during the night..

Definitions by Sense

1. (of a person, creature, group, or species) Primarily active during the night.
2. (of an occurrence) Taking place at night, nightly.
3. A person or creature that is active at night.
4. (historical) A device for telling the time at night, rather like a sundial but read according to the stars.

Example Sentences

nocturnal birds

a suspicious nocturnal outing

Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported […] that pine siskins (Spinus pinus) undergo an irregular, nomadic type of nocturnal migration.

A rather different instrument was the nocturnal: it enabled you to tell the time at night, provided you knew the date, from the position of the stars in the constellation of the Great Bear, which rotate around the Pole Star.

Word Forms

• more nocturnal
• most nocturnal
• nocturnall
• nocturnals

Synonyms for nocturnal

Antonyms for nocturnal

Related Words

When Should You Use Nocturnal?

Use nocturnal when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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