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
Jess Cartner-MorleyAmong 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
Christopher IngrahamExamples of outlier in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The outliers are Dwight Eisenhower’s victory in 1956, and the respective losses of Hubert Humphrey and Jimmy Carter in 1968 and 1980:
Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research, is responsible for the analysis.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024
In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Trump held up a chart comparing life expectancy and health expenditures around the world, with the US an obvious negative outlier on both metrics.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
In general, 2020 is considered an outlier because of accommodation efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic to social distance and keep vulnerable populations out of contact with the general public.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 29 Oct. 2024
Queen’s 1973 eponymous debut album has always been an outlier in the group’s catalog.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for outlier 
Greg McKenna, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024
In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Trump held up a chart comparing life expectancy and health expenditures around the world, with the US an obvious negative outlier on both metrics.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
In general, 2020 is considered an outlier because of accommodation efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic to social distance and keep vulnerable populations out of contact with the general public.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 29 Oct. 2024
Queen’s 1973 eponymous debut album has always been an outlier in the group’s catalog.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for outlier
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outlier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Outlier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outlier. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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