October 01, 2009
- nocturnal (adjective)
- \nahk-TER-nul\
- What does it mean?
- 1 : of, relating to, or occurring in the night2 : active at night
- How do you use it?
- In science class we are studying nocturnal animals like owls, bats, and opossums.
- Are you a word wiz?
"Nocturnal" has an antonym, which is a word that means the opposite. See if you can find the word that means the opposite of "nocturnal" in the list below.
The words "nocturnal" and "diurnal" are as different as night and day. "Nocturnal" means "active at night" while "diurnal" means "active during the day." Their opposite meanings go all the way back to their Latin roots. "Nocturnal" traces to the Latin word "nox," meaning "night," and "diurnal" traces to the Latin word "dies," meaning "day." "Equinox" is one word related to "nocturnal," while words related to "diurnal" include "diary" and "journal."
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