Meanings
plural nighttimes · alternative night time · alternative night-time
- countableuncountableThe hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise; the night.
Nighttime fell like the opening / In the final act of the beginning of time
1986, R.E.M., “Hyena”, in Lifes Rich Pageant1 more example
Smith Barney, for example, goes so far as to shift the hours during which taxi rides home are expensable as nighttime lengthens and shortens, says Moszkowski.
1996, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, volume 50, number 7, page 52Synonyms: nightertale, nighttide, night, scotoperiod, skotoperiod
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe hours of darkness between sunset and sunrise; the night.
adjectivePertaining to nighttime; appropriate to the night.
antonym(s) of “happening during the night”
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishnyght tyme
- Englishnighttime
From Middle English nyght tyme, nyȝttyme, equivalent to night + time. Compare Dutch nachttijd, German Nachtzeit, Danish nattetid, Swedish nattetid. Compare also Middle English nyȝter tyme (“nighttime”), from Old Norse náttartími, nætrtími (“nighttime”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek νύξ, νυκτερινός
- νύξ (núx)hours of darkness
- νυκτερινός (nukterinós)pertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
- νυκτερινός (nukterinós)happening during the night
Arabic لَيْلُ
- لَيْلُ (laylu)hours of darkness
Chinese Mandarin 夜裡 /夜里, 夜間 /夜间
- 夜裡 /夜里 (yèli)hours of darkness
- 夜間 /夜间 (yèjiān)hours of darkness
Czech noc, noční doba
- nochours of darkness
- noční dobahours of darkness
- nočnípertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
- nočníhappening during the night
Esperanto nokta
- noktapertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
Finnish yö, yöaika
- yöhours of darkness
- yöaikahours of darkness
French nuit
- nuithours of darkness
German Nacht
- Nachthours of darkness
Hungarian éjszakai, éjjeli
- éjszakaipertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
- éjjelipertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
- éjszakaihappening during the night
- éjjelihappening during the night
Japanese 夜間, 夜分
- 夜間 (yakan)hours of darkness
- 夜分 (yabun)hours of darkness
Norwegian natt
- natthours of darkness
Persian شبهنگام
- شبهنگام (šab-hengâm)hours of darkness
Polish noc
- nochours of darkness
Portuguese noite
- noitehours of darkness
Russian ночь, ночно́е вре́мя
- ночь (nočʹ)hours of darkness
- ночно́е вре́мя (nočnóje vrémja)hours of darkness
- ночно́й (nočnój)pertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
- ночно́й (nočnój)happening during the night
Spanish conticinio, noche
- conticiniohours of darkness
- nochehours of darkness
- nocturnopertaining to nighttime, appropriate to the night
- nocturnohappening during the night
Swedish natt, nattetid
- natthours of darkness
- nattetidhours of darkness
Turkish gece
- gecehours of darkness
Cite this entry
nighttime. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nighttime
“nighttime.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nighttime. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nighttime,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nighttime.
Source: nighttime on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.