From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnocturnalnoc‧tur‧nal /nɒkˈtɜːnl $ nɑːkˈtɜːr-/ adjective 1 HBAan animal that is nocturnal is active at night Hamsters are nocturnal creatures.2 formalTMC happening at night Rebecca paid a nocturnal visit to the flat.
Examples from the Corpus
nocturnal• Adaptable body rhythms, as easily nocturnal as diurnal.• During their nocturnal forays, they can travel as far as 30 miles in their search for supper.• The air is filled with a dingo's howl, the footpaths alive with the poisonous snakes on their slithering nocturnal hunt.• Alcohol may also contribute to nocturnal hypoxaemia by causing narrowing of the upper airways.• Prosimians, such as the nocturnal mouse lemur of Madagascan forests, feed on invertebrates and are active at night.• Polypterus palmas is a nocturnal, predatory species.• Soul musicians are, by nature, nocturnal, so many of his interviews would take place in the wee hours.• Smith and fellow men of the cloth conducted nocturnal sorties, gathering ammunition against the wicked.• Al occasionally takes a nocturnal stroll.Origin nocturnal (1400-1500) Late Latin nocturnalis, from Latin nocturnus “by night”, from nox “night” 