Standard Lemma guide

diurnal

adj · noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /daɪˈɜːnəl/
  • Received-Pronunciation: dī-ûr′nəl
  • General-American: /daɪˈɝ.nəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nəl
  • CMU ARPABET: D AY0 ER1 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Happening or occurring during daylight, or primarily active during that time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Most birds are diurnal.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Said of a flower that is open, or releasing its perfume during daylight hours, but not at night.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Having a daily cycle that is completed every 24 hours, usually referring to tasks, processes, tides, or sunrise to sunset; circadian.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Done once every day; daily, quotidian.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, uncommon

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Published daily.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A flower that opens only in the day.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A book containing canonical offices performed during the day, hence not matins.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: Catholicism, Christianity

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A diary or journal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A daily news publication.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective

Meaning 10

of or belonging to or active during the day

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • diurnal animals are active during the day
  • diurnal flowers are open during the day and closed at night
  • diurnal and nocturnal offices

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: nocturnal

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

having a daily cycle or occurring every day

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • diurnal rotation of the heavens

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin diurnālis, from diēs (“day”). Doublet of journal.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَهَارِيّ (nahāriyy) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Azerbaijani: gündəlik — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Belarusian: дзённы (dzjónny) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Bulgarian: дне́вен (dnéven) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Catalan: diürn — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Chinese Mandarin: 日間的 /日间的 (rìjiān de) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Czech: denní — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Dutch: dagactief — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Esperanto: taga — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Finnish: päivä- — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Finnish: päiväaikainen — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Finnish: päiväaktiivinen — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Finnish: diurnaalinen — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • French: diurne — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Galician: diurno — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • German: tagaktiv — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Greek: ημερήσιος (imerísios) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Ancient Greek: ἡμερινός (hēmerinós) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Hungarian: nappali — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Icelandic: dagdýr — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Irish: laethúil — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Italian: diurno — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Japanese: 昼間の (hiruma no) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Japanese: 日中の (nitchū no) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Kazakh: күндізгі (kündızgı) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Korean: 날의 (narui) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Korean: 하루의 (haruui) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Korean: 하루 동안의 (haru dong'anui) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Latin: diurnus — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Macedonian: дневен (dneven) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Māori: moepō — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Persian: روزانه (ruzâne) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Polish: dzienny — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Portuguese: diurno — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Russian: дневно́й (dnevnój) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Serbo-Croatian: дне̑внӣ — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Serbo-Croatian: dnȇvnī — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Slovak: denný — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Slovene: dneven — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Spanish: diurno — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Swedish: dags- — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Tajik: рӯзона (rüzona) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Turkish: gündüzcül — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Turkish: gündüz hareketli olan — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Ukrainian: де́нний (dénnyj) — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Uzbek: kunduzgi — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Welsh: dyddiol — happening during daylight; primarily active during the day
  • Catalan: diürn — botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
  • Finnish: päiväksi kukkansa avaava — botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
  • French: diurne — botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
  • German: diurnal — botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
  • Portuguese: diurno — botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
  • Ukrainian: де́нний (dénnyj) — botany; of flowers open or releasing perfume during the day
  • Finnish: päivittäinen — having a daily cycle
  • Finnish: vuorokautinen — having a daily cycle
  • Finnish: vuorokausi- — having a daily cycle
  • French: journalier — having a daily cycle
  • German: tagtäglich — having a daily cycle
  • German: jeden Tag — having a daily cycle
  • Greek: ημερήσιος (imerísios) — having a daily cycle
  • Persian: روزانه (ruzâne) — having a daily cycle
  • Portuguese: diário — having a daily cycle
  • Slovak: každodenný — having a daily cycle
  • Slovene: dneven — having a daily cycle
  • Slovene: cirkadiaden — having a daily cycle
  • Ukrainian: добови́й (dobovýj) — having a daily cycle
  • Belarusian: штодзё́нны (štodzjónny) — done once every day
  • Bulgarian: ежедне́вен (ežednéven) — done once every day
  • Bulgarian: всекидне́вен (vsekidnéven) — done once every day
  • Czech: denní — done once every day
  • Dutch: dagelijks — done once every day
  • Finnish: päivittäinen — done once every day
  • Finnish: jokapäiväinen — done once every day
  • French: journalier — done once every day
  • French: quotidien — done once every day
  • West-Frisian: deisk — done once every day
  • West-Frisian: deistich — done once every day
  • German: täglich — done once every day
  • German: einmal pro Tag — done once every day
  • Greek: ημερήσιος (imerísios) — done once every day
  • Hungarian: napi — done once every day
  • Persian: روزی یک بار (ruzi yek bâr) — done once every day
  • Portuguese: diário — done once every day
  • Russian: ежедне́вный (ježednévnyj) — done once every day
  • Slovak: denný — done once every day
  • Slovak: každodenný — done once every day
  • Slovene: dneven — done once every day
  • Turkish: günlük — done once every day
  • Turkish: gün be gün — done once every day
  • Ukrainian: щоде́нний (ščodénnyj) — done once every day
  • Catalan: diürnal — book of canonical offices
  • Hungarian: diurnálé — book of canonical offices
  • Italian: diurno — book of canonical offices
  • Italian: diurnale — book of canonical offices
  • Portuguese: diurno — book of canonical offices
  • Slovene: dnevnik — book of canonical offices
Real reading context

diurnal in complete knowledge articles