What does "journal" mean?
A diary or daily record of a person, organization, vessel etc.; daybook.
Journal
/ˈd͡ʒɝnəl/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A diary or daily record of a person, organization, vessel etc.; daybook.
- Grammar: journal is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: diary, account book, accounts payable ledger, accounts receivable ledger.
- Useful contrasts: delete, discard, empty notebook.
- Usage evidence: This technical journal is above me.
How to use "journal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "journal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "journal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "journal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "journal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "journal" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "diary" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "journal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A diary or daily record of a person, organization, vessel etc.; daybook.
- 2 The amount of land that can be worked in a day.
"Yet the whole extent of cultured country, or all the fields actually cultivated for the ſupport of the inhabitants, will hardly exceed two millions of journaux (or day’s work); above three millions lie entirely waſte; and 850,000 journaux are covered with ſand."
- 3 The part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings.
- 4 the part of the axle contained by a bearing wordnet
- 5 A newspaper or magazine dealing with a particular subject.
"The university's biology department subscribes to half a dozen academic journals."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a record book as a physical object wordnet
- 7 A chronological record of payments or receipts.
- 8 a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations wordnet
- 9 A general journal.
- 10 a periodical dedicated to a particular subject wordnet
- 11 A chronological record of changes made to a database or other system; along with a backup or image copy that allows recovery after a failure or reinstatement to a previous time; a log.
- 12 a ledger in which transactions have been recorded as they occurred wordnet
- 13 the part of a rotating shaft that rests on the bearing
Verb
- 1 To archive or record something. transitive
- 2 To insert (a shaft, an axle, etc) into a journal bearing.
"In a harvester binder having a hollow shaft journalled at right angles to the main axle and driving motion from the main driving wheel, a spindle journalled within the hollow shaft and having the needle attached to one of its ends[…]"
- 3 To scrapbook. intransitive, transitive
- 4 To insert (a shaft, etc.) in a journal bearing. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Daily. not-comparable, obsolete
"[…]his faint ſteedes watred in Ocean deepe, / Whiles from their iournall labours they did reſt[…]."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"This technical journal is above me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "journal"?
Common synonyms include: diary, account book, accounts payable ledger, accounts receivable ledger, activity log, address book.
How do you use "journal" in a sentence?
This technical journal is above me.
How do you pronounce "journal"?
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɝnəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English journal, from Anglo-Norman jurnal (“daily”), from Old French jornel (“day”) (whence modern French journal), from Latin diurnālis, from diurnus (“of the day”). Doublet of diurnal and the journal from French.
Etymology 2
From French journal. Doublet of diurnal and the journal from Middle English.
Etymology 3
Unknown, apparently of Scots origin. Perhaps from chirnel, from English kernel (“lump in the flesh”), owing to resemblance in shape.