outlier

American  

[out-lahy-er] / ˈaʊtˌlaɪ ər /

noun

• outliers
  plural

1. something that lies outside the main body or group that it is a part of, such as a cow far from the rest of the herd, or a distant island belonging to a cluster of islands.

   The small factory was an outlier, and unproductive, so the corporation sold it off to private owners who were able to make it profitable.

2. someone who stands apart from other members of a group, such as by differing behavior, beliefs, or religious practices.

   There are a few scientists who are outliers in their views on climate change.

   Synonyms:

   outsider, heretic, iconoclast, dissenter, dissident, bohemian, eccentric, original, maverick, nonconformist

3. Statistics.

   1. an observation that is well outside of the expected range of values in a study or experiment, and which is often discarded from the data set.

      Experience with a variety of data-reduction problems has led to several strategies for dealing with outliers in data sets.

   2. a person whose abilities, achievements, etc., lie outside the range of statistical probability.

4. Geology. a part of a formation left detached through the removal of surrounding parts by erosion.

5. Obsolete. a person residing outside the place of their business, duty, etc.

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outlier British  

/ ˈaʊtˌlaɪə /

noun

1. an outcrop of rocks that is entirely surrounded by older rocks

2. a person, thing, or part situated away from a main or related body

3. a person who lives away from his place of work, duty, etc

4. statistics a point in a sample widely separated from the main cluster of points in the sample See scatter diagram

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outliers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outlier

First recorded in 1600–10; out- + lier

Explanation

In statistics an outlier is a piece of data that is far from the rest; think of a graph with dots, where most dots are clustered together in the middle, but one dot, the outlier, is at the top. Think of an outlier as an outsider. An outlier refers to anything that strays from, or isn’t part of, the norm. If you like to sleep in a tent in the backyard while your neighbors and family sleep in their beds, you’re probably an outlier. You may also be an outlier if you have to travel far to your job. In geology, rock that is separated from another rock formation is called an outlier.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outlier outliers

It was a personal outlier as well in Lauer’s time with the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

London is an outlier with an average disposable income of more than £36,000 per head although there are very large variations between London's boroughs.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I know this as a novelist—one who often probes my own mind for outlier theories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

So many states had repealed so many firearm regulations that the District of Columbia’s stringent handgun ban looked like a true outlier.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

If, after all, he was an outlier, someone with a predisposition to dis-traction, it would be worth knowing.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

There are some outliers: India, for example, a nation where beef is not generally eaten, serves no Big Macs, so the equivalent is the Chicken Maharajah Mac.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

But if those age-defying performances were outliers, playing into your mid-40s and even early 50s may soon become, if not common, at least less unusual.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Even Harry Kane's six in 2018 and Mbappe's eight in 2022 felt like outliers.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

But inflation cycles vary and outliers and composition change over time.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

This is a book about outliers, about men and women who do things that are out of the ordinary.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• aberration
• deviation
• eccentricity
• exception
• oddity