outlier

[ out-lahy-er ]

/ ˈaʊtˌlaɪ ər /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

Origin of outlier

First recorded in 1600–10; out- + lier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outlier

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
Miraculously, he reached the outlier skirmish without being spotted.
Makers|Cory Doctorow
It was Won-tolla, the Outlier, and he said never a word, but continued his horrible sport beside the dholes.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling
The outlier of the group once created served as a nucleus for fresh accumulations.
Man and His Migrations|R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham
We first visited together the outlier of the Weald at Linksfield.
The Cruise of the Betsey|Hugh Miller
"Eat," said Akela, rising up from the meat Mowgli had brought him, and the Outlier flung himself on it.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling

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

Word Origin and History for outlier

outlier

c.1600, "stone quarried and removed but left unused," from out + lie (v.2). Transferred meaning "outsider" is recorded from 1680s; "anything detached from its main body" is from 1849; geological sense is from 1833.

outlier

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of outlier

Examples from the Web for outlier

British Dictionary definitions for outlier

outlier

noun

Word Origin and History for outlier

outlier