diff --git a/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/AnnotationTypeMapping.java b/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/AnnotationTypeMapping.java
index 563341654e1..b423301fbf4 100644
--- a/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/AnnotationTypeMapping.java
+++ b/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/AnnotationTypeMapping.java
@@ -275,6 +275,17 @@ final class AnnotationTypeMapping {
 			return true;
 		}
 
+		// Does an attribute value need to be resolved from a different annotation
+		// in the meta-annotation hierarchy? This can happen when an attribute is
+		// overridden via @AliasFor further up a multi-level annotation hierarchy
+		// whose root annotation does not redeclare the target attribute itself,
+		// in which case the override cannot be tracked via aliasMappings/aliasedBy.
+		for (int i = 0; i < this.annotationValueSource.length; i++) {
+			if (this.annotationValueSource[i] != null && this.annotationValueSource[i] != this) {
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+
 		// Has nested annotations or arrays of annotations that are synthesizable?
 		if (getAttributes().hasNestedAnnotation()) {
 			AttributeMethods attributeMethods = getAttributes();
diff --git a/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotation.java b/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotation.java
index bed8407fc9d..8ae3b01a5fc 100644
--- a/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotation.java
+++ b/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotation.java
@@ -513,6 +513,9 @@ public interface MergedAnnotation<A extends Annotation> {
 	 * it has not already been synthesized and one of the following is true.
 	 * <ul>
 	 * <li>The annotation declares attributes annotated with {@link AliasFor @AliasFor}.</li>
+	 * <li>The annotation is used as a meta-annotation, and one of its attributes
+	 * is overridden via an {@link AliasFor @AliasFor} declaration in a composed
+	 * annotation somewhere in the annotation hierarchy.</li>
 	 * <li>The annotation declares attributes that are annotations or arrays of
 	 * annotations that are themselves synthesizable.</li>
 	 * </ul>
diff --git a/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/TypeMappedAnnotation.java b/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/TypeMappedAnnotation.java
index f28f7760582..67d181818fe 100644
--- a/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/TypeMappedAnnotation.java
+++ b/spring-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/TypeMappedAnnotation.java
@@ -354,8 +354,7 @@ final class TypeMappedAnnotation<A extends Annotation> extends AbstractMergedAnn
 
 	/**
 	 * Determine if the supplied annotation has not already been synthesized
-	 * <strong>and</strong> whether the mapped annotation is a composed annotation
-	 * that needs to have its attributes merged or the mapped annotation is
+	 * <strong>and</strong> whether the mapped annotation is
 	 * {@linkplain AnnotationTypeMapping#isSynthesizable() synthesizable} in general.
 	 * @param annotation the annotation to check
 	 * @since 5.3.22
@@ -365,11 +364,6 @@ final class TypeMappedAnnotation<A extends Annotation> extends AbstractMergedAnn
 		if (AnnotationUtils.isSynthesizedAnnotation(annotation)) {
 			return false;
 		}
-		// Is this a mapped annotation for a composed annotation, and are there
-		// annotation attributes (mirrors) that need to be merged?
-		if (getDistance() > 0 && this.resolvedMirrors.length > 0) {
-			return true;
-		}
 		// Is the mapped annotation itself synthesizable?
 		return this.mapping.isSynthesizable();
 	}
diff --git a/spring-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotationsTests.java b/spring-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotationsTests.java
index 3c3b534a0f9..4aa1adff507 100644
--- a/spring-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotationsTests.java
+++ b/spring-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/core/annotation/MergedAnnotationsTests.java
@@ -1565,6 +1565,22 @@ class MergedAnnotationsTests {
 		assertNotSynthesized(enableGlobalAuthentication);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * A meta-annotation that declares an attribute should not be synthesized
+	 * merely because it is meta-present rather than directly present, as long
+	 * as none of its attributes are mirrored or overridden anywhere in the
+	 * annotation hierarchy.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	void synthesizeShouldNotSynthesizeMetaAnnotationsWithNonOverriddenAttributes() {
+		MergedAnnotations mergedAnnotations = MergedAnnotations.from(ComponentWithPlainAttributeMetaAnnotation.class);
+
+		PlainAttributeMetaAnnotation plainAttributeMetaAnnotation =
+				mergedAnnotations.get(PlainAttributeMetaAnnotation.class).synthesize();
+		assertThat(plainAttributeMetaAnnotation.value()).isEqualTo("enigma");
+		assertNotSynthesized(plainAttributeMetaAnnotation);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * If an attempt is made to synthesize an annotation from an annotation instance
 	 * that has already been synthesized, the original synthesized annotation should
@@ -3278,6 +3294,24 @@ class MergedAnnotationsTests {
 	static class SecurityConfig {
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Meta-annotation that declares an attribute which is never mirrored or
+	 * overridden anywhere in the annotation hierarchy.
+	 */
+	@Retention(RUNTIME)
+	@interface PlainAttributeMetaAnnotation {
+		String value() default "enigma";
+	}
+
+	@PlainAttributeMetaAnnotation
+	@Retention(RUNTIME)
+	@interface ComposedPlainAttributeAnnotation {
+	}
+
+	@ComposedPlainAttributeAnnotation
+	static class ComponentWithPlainAttributeMetaAnnotation {
+	}
+
 	@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
 	@Target({ ElementType.FIELD, ElementType.ANNOTATION_TYPE })
 	@interface RootAnnotation {