Standard Lemma guide

overt

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ə(ʊ)ˈvɜːt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈə(ʊ)ˌvɜːt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /oʊˈvɚt/
  • General-American: /ˈoʊvɚt/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t
  • CMU ARPABET: OW0 V ER1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: OW1 V ER0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Open and not concealed or secret.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: manifest, open, patent, plain, unconcealed

Antonyms: covert, hidden, nonovert, abstruse, behind the scenes, catlike, backroom, stealth, clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, concealed, confidential, deep-laid, dern, disguised, furtive, huggermugger, hush-hush, inconspicuous, incognito, low profile, lurksome, lurky, mousy, obfuscated, off-the-books, on the down-low, on the sly, secret, secretive, slinky, sly, sneaky, stealthy, sub rosa, surreptitious, under-the-table, under the radar, under wraps, undercover, underground, unperceived

2

adj

Meaning 2

Disclosed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: government, heraldry, hobbies, lifestyle, monarchy, nobility, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: Scientology, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

open and observable; not secret or hidden

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an overt lie
  • overt hostility
  • overt intelligence gathering
  • open ballots

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: open

Antonyms: covert

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: открит (otkrit) — open and not concealed or secret
  • Bulgarian: явен (javen) — open and not concealed or secret
  • Catalan: obert — open and not concealed or secret
  • Catalan: al descobert — open and not concealed or secret
  • Czech: otevřený — open and not concealed or secret
  • Czech: zjevný — open and not concealed or secret
  • Czech: neskrývaný — open and not concealed or secret
  • Dutch: openlijk — open and not concealed or secret
  • Dutch: onverholen — open and not concealed or secret
  • Finnish: avoin — open and not concealed or secret
  • Finnish: peittelemätön — open and not concealed or secret
  • Finnish: julkinen — open and not concealed or secret
  • German: offen — open and not concealed or secret
  • German: offenkundig — open and not concealed or secret
  • German: explizit — open and not concealed or secret
  • German: öffentlich — open and not concealed or secret
  • Greek: φανερός (fanerós) — open and not concealed or secret
  • Hungarian: nyílt — open and not concealed or secret
  • Italian: manifesto — open and not concealed or secret
  • Japanese: あからさまな (akarasamana) — open and not concealed or secret
  • Māori: mārakerake — open and not concealed or secret
  • Māori: marake — open and not concealed or secret
  • Polish: jawny — open and not concealed or secret
  • Russian: явный (javnyj) — open and not concealed or secret
  • Serbo-Croatian: otvoren — open and not concealed or secret
  • Serbo-Croatian: očit — open and not concealed or secret
  • Serbo-Croatian: neprikriven — open and not concealed or secret
  • Spanish: descubierto — open and not concealed or secret
  • Spanish: al aire libre — open and not concealed or secret
  • Spanish: explícito — open and not concealed or secret
  • Swedish: öppen — open and not concealed or secret