1. to determine or cause something to be determined by more factors or conditions than are strictly necessary
Usage: formal; often used in philosophy, psychology, and social theory
2. to have multiple sufficient causes or explanations for a single outcome or phenomenon
Usage: technical; used in logic and causality discussions

Examples

• The outcome is overdetermined by several independent factors working together.
• In psychoanalysis, a symptom may be overdetermined by multiple unconscious conflicts.
• Social scientists argue that poverty is overdetermined by economic, historical, and institutional causes.
• The system overdetermines the result, making it inevitable regardless of individual choices.
• His behavior is overdetermined by both genetic predisposition and environmental stress.
• The theory overdetermines the phenomenon, offering more explanations than necessary.