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

Political parties and their allies are spending big in Georgia’s Supreme Court races, prompting worries about the overt politicization of the judiciary, Greg Bluestein reports. —Adam Beam, AJC.com, 23 Apr. 2026

Plus, the Veja logo adds just the right amount of personality without feeling too overt. —Kayla Kitts, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2026

King favored a genial, non-confrontational style that critics derided as too easygoing and soft for a news network, but which made his program a natural stop for politicians and entertainers who wanted to make their views known without sparking overt conflict. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026

Earlier this week, ahead of the Toronto explosion, Drake’s courtside Raptors seats were turned into an icy promo display in another, more overt, album teaser. —Karen Bliss, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 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