multifactorial

[muhl-tee-fak-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-, muhl-tahy-]

adjective

1. having or stemming from a number of different causes or influences.

   Some medical researchers regard cancer as a multifactorial disease.

multifactorial

/ ˌmʌltɪfækˈtɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. genetics of or designating inheritance that depends on more than one gene

2. involving or including a number of elements or factors

Other Word Forms

• multifactorially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of multifactorial¹

First recorded in 1915–20; multi- + factor + -ial

Example Sentences

“Declines in San Francisco and other declines nationwide are probably multifactorial, and it’s hard to pinpoint one cause.”

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Research has led experts to unlock the multifactorial causes of obesity, including sociological and physiological determinants of health.

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Muscle strength is a multifactorial trait influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors but also by numerous genetic variants, each with a very small effect on muscle strength.

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“This could be a multifactorial presentation that we're seeing,” Lyons said.

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“That just highlights the fact that autoimmunity is multifactorial, there's not a single cause or only a single way to get there,” Chang said.

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