overt

adjective

ō-ˈvərt  ˈō-(ˌ)vərt 

: open to view : manifest

overt hostility

overt symptoms of the disease

overt discrimination

both overt and covert military action

overtness noun

Examples of overt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Great Again slogan appears just below the line separating overt and covert white supremacy. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 18 Nov. 2025

But over the years, residential segregation has declined slowly, and the most egregious and overt discriminatory acts, such as cross burnings and blockbusting, rarely happen anymore. —Gregory Squires, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2025

But despite the litany of overt infringements on congressional authority, legislators have done little to retake their traditional role in policymaking. —Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025

Whether that survives the Court (or is replaced with an overt carbon tariff à la Cassidy-Graham) is the real policy cliffhanger. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from past participle of ovrir to open, from Vulgar Latin *operire, alteration of Latin aperire

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overt

• alert
• assert
• avert
• dessert
• divert
• evert
• exert
• inert
• insert
• invert
• nightshirt
• revert

Kids Definition

overt

adjective

ō-ˈvərt  ˈō-(ˌ)vərt 

: open to view : not secret

overt hostility

overtly adverb

overtness noun

Medical Definition

overt

adjective

ō-ˈvərt, ˈō-ˌvərt also ˈō-vərt

: open to view : readily perceived

overt behavior

overtly adverb