Synonyms

nighttime

American

[nahyt-tahym] / ˈnaɪtˌtaɪm /

noun

the time between evening and morning.

adjective

occurring, done, presented, etc., during the night, especially the hours before midnight.

Etymology

Origin of nighttime

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at night, time

Vocabulary lists containing nighttime

Unit 6, Week 5

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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.

Down on our planet’s surface, a would-be global catastrophe—potentially knocking out entire electrical grids—is reduced to a nighttime display for anyone who cares to look up and see the Northern Lights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026

Our bodies rely on cooler nighttime temperatures to recover from the heat of the day.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

When possible, workers should shift their hours to the early mornings or nighttime.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

Average daytime and nighttime temperatures reached 29.2C, beating the previous high reached on June 30, 2025, according to provisional data released by the Meteo France weather agency.

From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026

Something that didn’t gel with the nighttime noises.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023