Meaning & use
nocturnal
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Active mainly at night rather than during the day.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: nocturnal animals; cats are nocturnal.
Patterns
- nocturnal animals
- be nocturnal
Owls are nocturnal, so they hunt after sunset.
Many desert animals are nocturnal to avoid the daytime heat.
The zoo has a nocturnal house where the lights are dim during the day.
adjectivenot comparable
Happening or active at night.
Grammar: Used before a noun to describe events or activities that occur at night.
Patterns
- nocturnal activity
- nocturnal habits
The city has a lively nocturnal culture, with cafes open until dawn.
His nocturnal work schedule means he sleeps during the day.
Common combinations
- nocturnal animal
- Bats are the most famous nocturnal animals.
- nocturnal creature
- The hedgehog is a nocturnal creature that forages at night.
- nocturnal habits
- His nocturnal habits worried his parents.
- nocturnal activity
- The researchers tracked the bears' nocturnal activity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nighttime
- Describes things that happen at night, but does not necessarily mean active at night; 'nocturnal' is more specific to living things.
- night-loving
- A less common, more poetic synonym; 'nocturnal' is the standard scientific term.
Opposites
Word family
- nocturnally adverb
- In a nocturnal manner; at night.
- nocturne noun
- A musical piece inspired by the night.
Commonly confused: nocturnal or diurnal? nocturnal or nocturnal emission?
nocturnal vs diurnal
Diurnal means active during the day, the opposite of nocturnal.
nocturnal vs nocturnal emission
A medical term for an involuntary ejaculation during sleep; unrelated to the general sense of nocturnal.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nocturnal' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Nocturnal means active at night, so hunting at night is correct. Option 2 contradicts the meaning; option 3 suggests sleeping at night, which is diurnal; option 4 specifies dawn, not night.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nocturnal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.