overdetermined
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of overdetermined
First recorded in 1915–20; over- + determined
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Whereas his documentary films crackle thanks to his unpredictable interactions with his subjects, “The Damned” cannot help but feel slightly overdetermined, the outcomes predestined rather than organically unearthed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025
Do you mind just thinking through the ways in which it’s almost overdetermined that we can’t get control of this because of the constraints of the First Amendment?
From Slate • Mar. 11, 2024
Still, “Saviors,” Green Day’s new album, is a decisive, even overdetermined return to form.
From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2024
In times as unnerving and overdetermined as these, pure chaos might be the only rational response.
From Washington Post • Mar. 3, 2023
It is overdetermined as indeed all symbols are.
From Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts by Jelliffe, Smith Ely
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
