nightful

plural nightfuls · plural nightsful

1. All that occurs or is done during a single night.

   When the evening comes, God's face then is a nightful of stars that lay to rest on the nearby tadpole water.

   2001, MaComère - Volume 4, page 25

   3 more examples

   Interpreting dreams was interpreting dreamers, finding what function was performed for the dreamer by specific dreams, or by nightsful of dreams, or by a dream series.

   1970, Harmon Hartzell Bro, Dreams in the Life of Prayer: The Approach of Edgar Cayce, page 43

   No deer, of course. But summer nightfuls of a raccoon banging the lid of Mr. Gallagher's in-ground garbage can, ker-blam ker-blam ker- blam.

   1993, Suze Craig, Tails & Tales: Small Farming in New England, page 91

   We're each and every one of them when our local cinema, The Hall, disgorges its nightful of cowboys and we go roaring down Shandon Street, belting the hell out of our backsides to get Trigger ahead of the Red Indians.

   1999, Liam Ó Murchú, Black Cat in the Window, page 175

2. As much as is produced or consumed throughout an entire night.

   Some people are affected more by two glasses of beer than others by a nightful of Scotch and sodas.

   1946, Larry Freeman, Edith Mendel Stern, Mastering Your Nerves: How to Relax Through Action, page 208

   2 more examples

   And now, in March, when back home in Iowa thoughts of plowing were making folks restless, and spring was only a matter of a morning's rain or shine (either would bring it), snow had fallen again—a whole nightful of it.

   1934, The North American Review, page 31

   Nothing was going to help his appearance by now. With his borrowed orderly's jacket, his work boots, grease-stained jeans and a nightful of whiskers, he could guess what he looked like in her eyes.

   1990, Jennifer Greene, Slow Dance, page 38

comparative more nightful · superlative most nightful

1. Pertaining to the night; occurring at night, found at night, resulting from the night, night-like, etc.

   I could have walked away from myself that nightful day: itching, retching, twitching; pain.

   2000, Máirín Diamond, The testimony of the bones, page 75

   3 more examples

   Fatigue, and want of strength from recent sickness: The ague's touch, that now recurs beneath These nightful dews.

   1847, Horatio Hubbell, Arnold: Or, The Treason of West Point, page 42

   O nightful men, we come and are bearing gifts For the fallen tribes, a nationality More gracious than your counterfeited kings, Or the five-fold unity of your long canoes.

   1947, Landfall - Volume 1, page 259

   When his mind was filled to its unhappy capacity, one cheerless, nightful trend rose to the top: Look for a place to sleep.

   1974, Jerome David Salinger, The Complete Uncollected Short Stories of J.D. Salinger