Pertaining to or occurring at night; opposite of diurnal (adjective)
Looking for the answer to the USA Today Rootonym clue “Pertaining to or occurring at night; opposite of diurnal (adjective)”? The solution is NOCTURNAL, a 9-letter word built on the root NOCT (“night”). It appeared in the August 29, 2026 (Saturday) USA Today Rootonym. See the full puzzle for that day's other words.
Answer
NOCTURNAL
NOCT*****NOCTmeans “night”
In a sentence
Raccoons are NOCTURNAL animals that feed from contents of garbage cans in the dark.
About this clue
The Rootonym clue “Pertaining to or occurring at night; opposite of diurnal (adjective)” has the answer NOCTURNAL (9 letters), built on the root NOCT, which means “night”. Browse the full August 29, 2026 Rootonym puzzle for the other three words, or see all Rootonym answers.