outlier

[ out-lahy-er ]

/ ˈaʊtˌlaɪ ər /

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See synonyms for outlier on Thesaurus.com

noun

something that lies outside the main body or group that it is a part of, 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.

someone who stands apart from others of his or her group, as by differing behavior, beliefs, or religious practices: scientists who are outliers in their views on climate change.

Statistics.

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

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

Obsolete. a person residing outside the place of his or her business, duty, etc.

OTHER WORDS FOR outlier

2 nonconformist, maverick; original, eccentric, bohemian; dissident, dissenter, iconoclast, heretic; outsider.

See synonyms for outlier on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of outlier

First recorded in 1600–10; out- + lier

Words nearby outlier

outlawry, outlaw strike, outlay, outleap, outlet, outlier, out like a light, outline, outline font, outlive, outlook

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use outlier in a sentence

This database should cover design projects in all sectors and domains, not just those in machine learning, and explicitly acknowledge absences and outliers.
Participation-washing could be the next dangerous fad in machine learning|Amy Nordrum|August 25, 2020|MIT Technology Review
First off, they are an outlier among this year’s top defenses.
The Raptors’ Defense Is Almost Never The Same, But It’s Always Really Good|Jared Dubin|August 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Put another way, states that are outliers based on some combination of the variables listed above tend to be harder to predict.
How FiveThirtyEight’s 2020 Presidential Forecast Works — And What’s Different Because Of COVID-19|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 12, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
More recently, machine-learning based approaches try to identify patterns of normal activity and raise flags only when outliers are detected.
The pandemic has changed how criminals hide their cash—and AI tools are trying to sniff it out|Will Heaven|August 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review

This week was also a good reminder that outliers can occur in either direction.
Yes, Biden Has A Big Lead, But It’s Probably Not 15 Points|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 16, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
But Florida is kind of an outlier, because culturally, only the northern half of Florida is Dixie.
Dems, It’s Time to Dump Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Egeland is something of an outlier among the worldwide community of humanitarians because he says this sort of thing out loud.
Why Humanitarians Talk to ISIS|Joshua Hersh|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Actually, the United States is an outlier among democracies in granting such generous free speech guarantees.
Should Neo-Nazis Be Allowed Free Speech?|Thane Rosenbaum|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In comparison to other NWO conspiracy theorists, experts say Ciancia is an outlier.
The Evolution of the ‘New World Order’|Lizzie Crocker|November 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Said Fidas: “ExxonMobil remains a significant holdout with respect to LGBT equality and in many ways an outlier.”
Walmart’s New Embrace of Gay Employees a Sign of Corporate Shift|Daniel Gross|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is on this series that the Shannon rises, under the high outlier of grit on Cuilcagh.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various
The extreme south-east of the county includes part of the Triassic outlier of Kingscourt.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various
This mighty outlier was the one object which riveted our eyes, quite eclipsing the more distant glories of the Bernina.
Italian Alps|Douglas William Freshfield
It does not reach 10,000 feet, and it is out-topped by a southern outlier, probably Monte Frerone.
Italian Alps|Douglas William Freshfield
From its position as an outlier of the great chain, we had expected much from the Adamello, and now we were not disappointed.
Italian Alps|Douglas William Freshfield

British Dictionary definitions for outlier

outlier

/ (ˈaʊtˌlaɪə) /

noun

an outcrop of rocks that is entirely surrounded by older rocks

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

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

statistics a point in a sample widely separated from the main cluster of points in the sampleSee scatter diagram

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

outlier

OTHER WORDS FOR outlier

Origin of outlier

Words nearby outlier

Words related to outlier

How to use outlier in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for outlier