overt

O1V4E1R1T1
UK/ə(ʊ)ˈvɜːt/UK/ˈə(ʊ)ˌvɜːt/US/oʊˈvɚt/US/ˈoʊvɚt/

adjective

Open and not concealed or secret.

Less commonScrabble 8

Meanings

adjectiveovert (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOpen and not concealed or secret.

    The resurgence of overt antisemitism has underscored just how limiting the category of race is, said Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly.

    2023 April 4, Harmeet Kaur, “What does it mean to be Jewish in the US?”, in CNN
    4 more examples

    The buſineſs of Overt-Acts is, where the Compaſſing and Imagining the King's Death is the Crime and Queſtion, and this muſt be diſcover'd by Overt-Acts. But if the Treaſon be falſifying of the King's Money, this is Treaſon, but there can be no Overt-Act of that, for that is an Overt-Act in it ſelf; but there muſt be an Overt-Act to prove the Compaſſing and Imagining the Death of the King, and in no other ſort of Treaſon.

    1696 October 31, The Tryal, and Condemnation of Capt. Thomas Vaughan. For High Treason, in Adhering to the French-King, and for Endeavouring the Destruction of His Majesty’s Ships in the Nore. […], London: Printed for John Everingham […], published 1697, →OCLC, page 11

    [T]he essence of a sale in a market overt is, that the goods should be openly exposed in the ordinary way, and also that the whole transaction should take place there, and at one time. If a man make a contract for certain goods which are not in market overt, and subsequently the goods are delivered, and the property ultimately passes in market overt, that would not be within the privilege of market overt, [...]

    1864 April 28, Justice Blackburn [i.e., Colin Blackburn, Baron Blackburn], “Crane v. The London Dock Company”, in The Jurist. […], volume X, part I, number 511 (New Series), London: H. Sweet, […]; Stevens, Sons, & Haynes, […]; Dublin: Hodges, Smith, & Co., […], published 22 October 1864, →OCLC, pages 987–988

    Students receive hidden messages from their participation in classroom activites, by attending school and by virtue of the context of school in society. [...] Educators have argued that children should, for example, acquire non-sexist approaches to the learning of values and attitudes in schools and that it is the curriculum's direct responsibility to enhance that learning. Consequently action must be taken in the overt curriculum to overcome the learnings acquired through the hidden curriculum.

    1993, Murray Print, “Introducing Curriculum”, in Curriculum Development and Design, 2nd edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, →ISBN, pages 12–13

    How do we know that power is operating in certain social relationships? [...] This is not such a problem where there is a clear and overt conflict of interest [...] but what of those situations where there is no such awareness; where domination exists in the absence of overt violence or even conflict?

    1999, Deidre Wicks, “A New Framework”, in Nurses and Doctors at Work: Rethinking Professional Boundaries, Sydney, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, →ISBN, pages 20–21

    Synonyms: manifest, open, patent, plain, unconcealed · Antonyms: covert, hidden, nonovert, abstruse, behind the scenes, catlike, backroom, backstairs

  2. not comparablegovernmentDisclosed.

    Arg. an eagle rising wings overt inverted sa. armed or. HILTOFTE, V.

    1874, John Woody Papworth, An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland, page 298
nounovert (plural overts)

plural overts

  1. ScientologyAn action or condition said to be detrimental to one’s own survival and thus unethical; the consciousness of such behaviour.

    Masturbation is an overt—strictly forbidden in Scientology, as Hubbard believed that it can slow one’s process to enlightenment.

    2006 February 23, Janet Reitman, “Inside Scientology”, in Rolling Stone
    2 more examples

    Scientologists are sure that the person must have “overts” against Scientology, therefore nothing a former member says can be trusted.

    1990, Jon Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed, →ISBN, page 148

    Anyone who leaves has committed “overts” (harmful acts) against the church and is withholding them. The church is obligated to make such people come clean, Hubbard said, because withholding overts against Scientology can lead to suicide or death by disease.

    2019 October 17, Thomas C. Tobin, Joe Childs, “Part 1 — Scientology: The Truth Rundown”, in Tampa Bay Times

Synonyms & antonyms

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveopen and observable; not secret or hidden

Opposite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó“away; from”
  2. Latinaperīre“to open”
  3. Late Latinoperire
  4. Old Frenchovrir
  5. Old Frenchovert
  6. Middle Frenchouvert
  7. Anglo-Normanovert
  8. Middle Englishovert
  9. Englishovert

From Middle English overt, uverte (“open, uncovered; unfastened; accessible, unobstructed; clear, manifest”), from Anglo-Norman overt, Middle French ouvert, Old French overt, ouvert, uvert (“opened”) (modern French ouvert), past participle of Anglo-Norman, Old French ovrir, ouvrir, uvrir (“to open”), from Late Latin operire, variant of Latin aperīre (“to open”), from aperiō (“to open, uncover”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“away; from”) + *h₂wer- (“to cover, shut”). The English word is a doublet of apert and ouvert.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian открит, явен
  • открит (otkrit)open and not concealed or secret
  • явен (javen)open and not concealed or secret
Catalan obert, al descobert
  • obertopen and not concealed or secret
  • al descobertopen and not concealed or secret
Czech otevřený, zjevný
  • otevřenýopen and not concealed or secret
  • zjevnýopen and not concealed or secret
  • neskrývanýopen and not concealed or secret
Dutch openlijk, onverholen
  • openlijkopen and not concealed or secret
  • onverholenopen and not concealed or secret
Finnish avoin, peittelemätön
  • avoinopen and not concealed or secret
  • peittelemätönopen and not concealed or secret
  • julkinenopen and not concealed or secret
German offen, offenkundig
  • offenopen and not concealed or secret
  • offenkundigopen and not concealed or secret
  • explizitopen and not concealed or secret
  • öffentlichopen and not concealed or secret
Greek φανερός
  • φανερός (fanerós)open and not concealed or secret
Hungarian nyílt
  • nyíltopen and not concealed or secret
Italian manifesto
  • manifestoopen and not concealed or secret
Japanese あからさまな
  • あからさまな (akarasamana)open and not concealed or secret
Māori mārakerake, marake
  • mārakerakeopen and not concealed or secret
  • marakeopen and not concealed or secret
Polish jawny
  • jawnyopen and not concealed or secret
Russian явный
  • явный (javnyj)open and not concealed or secret
Spanish descubierto, al aire libre
  • descubiertoopen and not concealed or secret
  • al aire libreopen and not concealed or secret
  • explícitoopen and not concealed or secret
Swedish öppen
  • öppenopen and not concealed or secret

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with overt

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

overt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overt

MLA

“overt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overt. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overt,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overt.

Source: overt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.