overtly
adverb
overt·ly
ō-ˈvərt-lē 
ˈō-(ˌ)vərt-
: in an overt manner : in a way that is open, straightforward, or obvious
an overtly racist remark
an overtly political message
… the fashion of dumbing down the public discourse was over. Being overtly brainy, simply being oneself, was back in style.—
Elizabeth Drew
Elizabeth DrewIn the late 1860's interest gradually waned in landscape paintings that overtly conveyed nationalistic, philosophical, and religious meanings.—Franklin Kelly
Franklin KellyIt is now easier for French writers to write more overtly about the occupation because their country is now stressing reconciliation, forgiveness for whatever wrongs were done then …—Barbara Probst Solomon
Barbara Probst SolomonExamples of overtly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Each year, the EBU carefully scrutinizes the lyrics and planned performances of each act to ensure that overtly political statements don’t make it onto the stage.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Some of Delevingne’s other Met Gala looks have included a gold body paint look that left very little to the imagination and a more overtly political look.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Not overtly, but in a way people will read themselves into.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
History was overtly rhyming: the police action took place on the fifty-sixth anniversary to the day of the massive arrests that ended a student takeover of Hamilton Hall in the Vietnam era—one of the iconic scenes of that iconic year.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Katie Holmes’s off-duty wardrobe does have an obvious, masculine spirit–albeit with the odd overtly girlish touch.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
Does Jack overtly know that his fame will come at the cost of sacrificing Madeleine or is that a trick that’s played on him?
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
The regime’s move to retaliate overtly, and with an immense show of force, has signaled that decision-makers are no longer convinced by the logic of restraint.
—Afshon Ostovar, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2024
Yet another rapper who’s apparently taken sides in the ongoing war is Travis Scott, who appears on Future and Metro’s project, though not overtly dissing Drake in any of his lyrics.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Some of Delevingne’s other Met Gala looks have included a gold body paint look that left very little to the imagination and a more overtly political look.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Not overtly, but in a way people will read themselves into.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
History was overtly rhyming: the police action took place on the fifty-sixth anniversary to the day of the massive arrests that ended a student takeover of Hamilton Hall in the Vietnam era—one of the iconic scenes of that iconic year.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Katie Holmes’s off-duty wardrobe does have an obvious, masculine spirit–albeit with the odd overtly girlish touch.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
Does Jack overtly know that his fame will come at the cost of sacrificing Madeleine or is that a trick that’s played on him?
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
The regime’s move to retaliate overtly, and with an immense show of force, has signaled that decision-makers are no longer convinced by the logic of restraint.
—Afshon Ostovar, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2024
Yet another rapper who’s apparently taken sides in the ongoing war is Travis Scott, who appears on Future and Metro’s project, though not overtly dissing Drake in any of his lyrics.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overtly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overtly
Cite this Entry
“Overtly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overtly. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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