nightly
Americanadjective
adjective
-
happening or relating to each night
-
happening at night
adverb
Etymology
Origin of nightly
before 900; Middle English; Old English nihtlīc. See night, -ly
Explanation
Nightly things happen on a regular basis, every single night. Your nightly exercise routine and sponge bath are good examples of this. You can use nightly as an adjective or adverb, to describe something that occurs every night. The sun sets nightly, and most people eat dinner nightly and climb into bed nightly. Your exercise regimen might include nightly sit ups, and your dog may require nightly walks around the block. The Old English root of nightly is niht, which means both "night" and "darkness."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The tents, which start at about $300 nightly, have furniture, electricity and Wi-Fi, but if you show up on a 93-degree afternoon, as I did, your un-air-conditioned tent will be about the same temperature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Kyiv calls its strikes "long-range sanctions", saying the attacks are justified retribution for Russia's more than four-year offensive and nightly attacks on its cities.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Earlier this month it was confirmed BBC Alba is to screen nightly live coverage and highlights throughout the Games.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
What outsiders now call resilience was, for us, simply the nightly practice of keeping one another going.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
He runs the nightly report on my register and as he’s walking back to his office, he calls over his shoulder, “Tell your friend we’re hiring!”
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
