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

Those navigating the market without the requisite knowledge or information are susceptible to potential outlier losses. — David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

If the Steelers retain Porter long-term (either with a deal this year or an agreement in the future), Jones looks like the outlier from an otherwise strong class. — Mike Defabo, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

These were not outliers, or accidents, or isolated incidents. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

View gallery - 15 images With the tiny house scene slowly evolving from cheap and cheerful to large and high-budget in recent years, Dragon Tiny Homes is an outlier, mostly focusing on affordable and compact designs. — New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 3b