as in plain
easily seen; not secret or hidden
overt hostility
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of overt
States seeking to disable a command-and-control system must proceed with caution, as overt moves to knock out a rival’s system may be seen as the prelude to a nuclear attack, potentially justifying preemptive retaliation.
—
Sam Winter-Levy, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2025
The attempt would be remarkable and serve as an overt example of partisan gerrymandering in Missouri — not based on population changes but to strengthen the GOP’s slim majority in Congress.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2025
The trend, Simon May, a philosopher and the author of The Power of Cute, told me, might have been born of a postwar rejection of overt aggression: After World War II, cute aesthetics were one way that Japan revamped its public-facing image.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
This new form of subjugation was less overt, but no less deliberate.
—Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for overt
Sam Winter-Levy, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2025
The attempt would be remarkable and serve as an overt example of partisan gerrymandering in Missouri — not based on population changes but to strengthen the GOP’s slim majority in Congress.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2025
The trend, Simon May, a philosopher and the author of The Power of Cute, told me, might have been born of a postwar rejection of overt aggression: After World War II, cute aesthetics were one way that Japan revamped its public-facing image.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
This new form of subjugation was less overt, but no less deliberate.
—Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for overt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overt
Adjective
-
To devein, or not to devein, isn't a plain yes or no answer.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
17 Aug. 2025
-
These frames slip right around standard switch plates, instantly turning them from plain plastic rectangles into polished, eye-catching features.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet one report from the LA Fire HEALTH Study struck me as surprisingly lucid.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2025
-
That’s just as true of Trash Mountain, a remarkably lucid document of Seabird’s interior life.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Its location is equally compelling: just minutes from the shops and restaurants of downtown Andover, close to Phillips Academy, and a digestible commute to Boston.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Low-friction tactics include tagging behavioral summaries inside HR or applicant tracking systems (ATS) profiles, embedding risk indicators in hiring committee review templates and creating dashboard systems with digestible weekly alerts.—
Darrin Lipscomb,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Among the casual selfies and behind-the-scenes shots was a photo snapped by the 24-year-old himself, showing Ice Spice leaning into him with undisguised affection.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
30 Apr. 2025
-
His undisguised Queens tough-guy swagger, self-confidence, and use of self-deprecating humor won over the crowd.—
Steve Cohen,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That much was apparent as Washington put on a show in the Dolphins’ 14-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
24 Aug. 2025
-
But when the team moved on to testing if the prosthesis could decode unstructured inner speech, the limitations of the BCI became quite apparent.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
For Zander, who has spent three decades championing play as a form of healing, the solution lies in something deceptively simple: rediscovering the human joy of play.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The common denominator with all these issues is obvious.—
Vincent Turley,
Hartford Courant,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Not all primary headaches have obvious explanations.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
What this is: a delicate and contemporary crewneck sweater made out of recycled cashmere, whose quality is evident at first touch.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Aug. 2025
-
In fact, the limits on Trump’s authority were evident in the order itself.—
Laurie Kellman,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overt. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share