overt

[ oh-vurt, oh-vurt ]

adjective

1. open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret:

   overt hostility.

   Synonyms: public, apparent, manifest, plain

   Antonyms: private

2. Heraldry. (of a device, as a purse) represented as open:

   a purse overt.

overt

/ əʊˈvɜːt; ˈəʊvɜːt /

adjective

1. open to view; observable
2. law open; deliberate. Criminal intent may be inferred from an overt act

Derived Forms

• ˈovertly, adverb
• ˈovertness, noun

Other Words From

• uno·vert adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of overt¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French, past participle of ouvrir to open < Vulgar Latin *ōperīre, for Latin aperīre

Word History and Origins

Origin of overt¹

C14: via Old French, from ovrir to open, from Latin aperīre

Example Sentences

There are a couple of Gideon lines that were just too overt.

From Vox

Those who reflect her overt racism, her unhinged conspiracy thinking and her endorsement of violence against public figures are now treated as a serious political constituency within the Republican Party.

From Washington Post

However, in a fictional world of horrors, overt expression of your emotions—even screaming your lungs out—is expected.

From Nautilus

That improvement, an overt win for DEI, also translates into real dollars for organizations.

From Fortune

Although a project 16 years in the past, the aftermath of “Battle for Middle-earth” made overt what happened behind-the-scenes as the video game industry grew from small teams to major productions involving hundreds.

From Washington Post

The dress bizarrely burdened Hurley with a ready-made character to play up to, which she did without overt complaint.

From The Daily Beast

Poverty, alienation, estrangement, continuously aggravated by racism, overt and institutional.

From The Daily Beast

They may now also raise unlimited amounts of money to fund such overt political messages.

From The Daily Beast

Black-white relations had signifiers other than the overt events of the civil rights movement.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, the film focuses specifically on Hayward and her family, stripped of overt political messages or loaded debates.

From The Daily Beast

Yet how came it that even a low-caste mongrel of a Lascar should offer such an overt insult to a Brahmin!

From Project Gutenberg

In the first place, one element of public-house talk—the overt or sly indecency—is left out.

From Project Gutenberg

There is, of course, no overt novelty in the theory advanced by Bronson Howard in his address.

From Project Gutenberg

The inexorable unwritten law which forbids overt scandal sentenced me.

From Project Gutenberg

Unlike the others, there is nothing hasty or overt in his plans.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• apparent
• definite
• undisguised