nocturnal
/nɒkˈtɜːnl/ (bre, ipa) · /nɑːkˈtɜːrnl/ (ame, ipa) · /näk-ˈtər-nᵊl/ (ame, mw)
nocturnal — adjective
- nocturnalpositive
- more nocturnalcomparative
- most nocturnalsuperlative
1. describes an animal that hunts, feeds, or moves around mainly when it is dark, w
describes an animal that hunts, feeds, or moves around mainly when it is dark, while resting during the day — owls, bats, and many rodents live this way.
Owls are nocturnal hunters that catch mice in almost total darkness.
subject + be + nocturnal + noun (typical pattern)
Bats are nocturnal, leaving their cave at sunset to feed on insects above the river.
predicative 'are nocturnal' with explanation clause
Aoi's pet hedgehog is nocturnal and sleeps inside a small wooden box all day.
Many desert animals are nocturnal because the daytime heat is too dangerous for them.
Heloísa stayed up to film nocturnal frogs calling near the pond behind the farm.
- night-active
rare technical synonym used in zoology textbooks
- night-feeding
narrower — describes feeding habit only, not the whole behaviour cycle
用法筆記
Subject is almost always an animal (or, by extension, a person whose habits resemble one — 'a nocturnal teenager'). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes the creature's behaviour pattern; sense 2 simply means 'of the night' and modifies events or things, not living habits.
常見錯誤
2. belonging to the night-time hours, or taking place after dark — used in formal o
belonging to the night-time hours, or taking place after dark — used in formal or literary writing to describe sounds, journeys, events, or feelings that arise during the night.
The village was disturbed by nocturnal noises coming from the abandoned factory near the river.
collocation: nocturnal noises / nocturnal sounds
Zayd hated the long nocturnal drive back from his uncle's house with only headlights for company.
The poem describes a nocturnal walk through empty streets after the last train had left.
Eliska's nocturnal anxiety always returned around three in the morning, when the house was silent.
The soldiers carried out a nocturnal raid on the bridge, using the darkness as cover.
- night-time
everyday neutral equivalent; preferred in speech
- after-dark
informal attributive; emphasises the lack of daylight
- midnight
narrower — refers to the hour rather than the whole night
用法筆記
Object is an event, sound, journey, or feeling — never a living creature in this sense. Frequently formal or literary; the everyday equivalent is just 'night-time' or 'at night'. Distinguish from sense 1: that sense describes a creature's behaviour pattern; this sense merely locates an event in the night.