overdetermined
1
8.7
- adjective
- /ˌoʊvərdɪˈtɜrmɪnd/
- When multiple theories attempt to explain the same phenomena, the situation can become overdetermined, leading to confusion.
Examples
-
We begin this issue with a cluster of articles that speak to one of the most contentious and overdetermined signs of national/transnational belonging in the contemporary world, namely the hijab or veil of a Muslim woman.
Academic text (2006) -
The project's outcome was overdetermined by various factors, including funding, timing, and public opinion.
-
Gillick's descriptions of these works emphasize their potential use value, but in a way that carefully denies them any specific agency: each object's meaning is so overdetermined that it seems to parody both claims made for modernist design and the language of management consulting.
Academic text (2004) -
It was precisely because of the extraordinary weight of those competing symbolic narratives that in 1961 the ANC chose 16 December to announce the start of the "armed struggle" through the bombing of government buildings in major cities, thereby adding another layer of complexity to an already overdetermined conflict of meaning.
Academic text (1999) -
Her decision to move was overdetermined by career opportunities, family considerations, and her desire for a change of scenery.
Synonyms
1
6.2
More complex than it needs to be
1
7.6
Too complicated and full of detail that is not needed
Surface Forms
Morphology
overdetermined = overdetermine (transparent) = over + determine + ed
Formed from the verb 'overdetermine' plus the participial/adjectival suffix '-ed', indicating 'subject to excessive determination or constraints'.
Etymology
Overdetermined breaks into over- 'too much' and determine 'to decide'. That's why we use it when something has more causes or rules than needed, so no single cause fully explains it.