Definition of OVERT

overt

Plural: overts

Adjective

  • open and observable; not secret or hidden
    • "an overt lie"
    • "overt hostility"
    • "overt intelligence gathering"
  • open to view

Adj

  • Open and not concealed or secret.
  • Disclosed.

Noun

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

Origin / 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.

Antonyms

covert, hidden, nonovert

Scrabble Score: 8

overt: valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
overt: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
overt: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

overt is a valid Words With Friends word