outlying

adjective

out·​ly·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌlī-iŋ 

: remote from a center or main body

outlying areas

Examples of outlying in a Sentence

the outlying areas of the city

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet the cities and the outlying suburbs keep growing, spreading in all directions until they’re constrained by geography or bureaucracy or Indigenous sovereignty. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026

Voters in outlying areas have powered Van Orden’s previous two victories. — Dan Simmons, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Most communities will fall into the lower and middle 50s, with a few outlying locations potentially dropping into the upper 40s. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Most of those contributions were small, with a few outlying donations that were in the thousands. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for outlying

• buying
• crying
• drying
• dyeing
• dying
• flying
• frying
• lying
• plying
• prying
• shying
• sighing

Kids Definition

outlying

adjective

out·​ly·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌlī-iŋ 

: being far from a center or main body

an outlying suburb