Meaning & use
diurnal
Active during the day and resting at night, or relating to daytime rather than night.
See it in a sentence
Most diurnal animals, like squirrels, are active from sunrise to sunset.
The plant's diurnal rhythm causes its flowers to open only in daylight.
A note on using this word
Diurnal contrasts directly with nocturnal and is common in biology when describing an animal's activity pattern.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “diurnal”, then compare your use with the examples above.