Word
nocturnal
Phoneticsnoc·tur·nal, stress on the second syllable
US/nɑkˈtɝnəɫ/
UK/nɒktˈɜːnəl/
Definitions
01active at night
B2 · Upper Intermediate Science
adj. describes animals or people that are awake and active at night instead of during the day.
adj. relating to or characteristic of animals that are active during the night and sleep during the day.
“Owls are nocturnal hunters that use their excellent hearing to find food in the dark.”
“Many desert mammals have evolved nocturnal habits to avoid the intense heat of the midday sun.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02happening at night
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. happening or done during the night.
adj. occurring, done, or active at night; often used in formal or technical descriptions of events.
“The city was quiet except for the occasional nocturnal sounds of traffic.”
“The poet was inspired by the nocturnal silence of the countryside, which stood in stark contrast to the chaos of London.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03night-time device
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Archaic · Technical
n. an old tool used in the past to tell the time at night by looking at the stars.
n. an instrument formerly used for determining the time of night by the positions of certain stars.
“The museum has a brass nocturnal used by sailors in the seventeenth century.”
“Before the invention of reliable mechanical clocks, the nocturnal provided navigators with a means to determine the time using the North Star.”
Real-World Examples
“Then the team tried it during the dark phase, when nocturnal mice are mostly awake.” “They were small and had long bodies, eyes typical of nocturnal mammals and small, spiky teeth for eating insects.” Etymology
From Middle French nocturnal, from Latin nocturnus (“nocturnal, nightly”), from Latin nox (“night”), from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts (“night”). Cognates include Ancient Greek νύξ (núx), Sanskrit नक्ति (nákti), Old English niht (English night) and Proto-Slavic noťь.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/nocturnal