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

The timeframe also places the play’s overt sexism in a different cultural context. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

The latter track takes overt inspiration from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen beckons her love to engage in life’s vices with her, like marring bedsheets with fruit stains and dashing nude through the garden. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Kobe Bryant’s signature line had held down Clark through college in her first WNBA years, but there weren’t any overt attempts to pay homage to the series. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Energy Levels Chicken carries both overt and under-the-surface benefits here. — Embry Roberts, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 2026

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