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
Japan is a global outlier in raising rates as most major central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have begun to ease policy or are moving in that direction.
—Reuters, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
The intrigue: Holmes County in the heart of Amish country is a major outlier, with more than one-third of residents lacking insurance in 2022.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 15 Aug. 2024
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the outlier, pulling back 140 points, or 0.36%.
—Michele Luhn, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2024
In recent years, urban population centers have grown more educated and more liberal and Minnesota is no outlier to that trend.
—Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for outlier 
Reuters, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
The intrigue: Holmes County in the heart of Amish country is a major outlier, with more than one-third of residents lacking insurance in 2022.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 15 Aug. 2024
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the outlier, pulling back 140 points, or 0.36%.
—Michele Luhn, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2024
In recent years, urban population centers have grown more educated and more liberal and Minnesota is no outlier to that trend.
—Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Aug. 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 19 Aug. 2024.
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