outlier

noun

out·​li·​er ˈau̇t-ˌlī(-ə)r 

1

: a person whose residence and place of business are at a distance

His house was a place of refuge for outliers.

2

: something (such as a geologic feature) that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body

The island is an outlier on the southeast side of the archipelago.

3

a

: a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample

Values that are outliers give disproportionate weight to larger over smaller values.

b

: a person or thing that is atypical within a particular group, class, or category

She was an outlier when she launched her cruelty-free, sustainably minded brand in 2001, but has found the centre of gravity shifting in her direction.

—Jess Cartner-Morley

Among the world's wealthy nations, the United States is an outlier on this issue: Americans have the lowest national minimum wage, relative to the median wage, of any of the wealthy nations represented in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

—Christopher Ingraham

Examples of outlier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Senior first baseman Jhames Holley III is actually the outlier for Homewood-Flossmoor. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

As Americans sort ourselves into states with vastly different approaches to immigration enforcement, Florida remains an outlier even among red states. —Mary Ellen Klas, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026

Slate is a refreshing outlier among the aspiring new electric vehicle OEMs. —Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026

The state is an outlier nationwide because of its stubborn resistance to adopting cleaner, cheaper sources of energy. —Margie Mason, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 3b