outlying

Outlying is an adjective meaning situated away from the center or main body; peripheral, remote, or distant. It is used to describe places, features, or points that lie beyond the central area in geography or planning, and more generally to any item that lies outside a primary concentration.

In geography and urban planning, the term is commonly used to refer to areas on the fringe of a city, such as suburbs or rural hinterlands, or to peripheral islands or districts. Outlying regions are often less densely populated and may have different land use patterns, infrastructure, or administrative status. In planning, services and development strategies may differ for outlying areas compared with central areas.

In statistics and data analysis, outlying (often shortened from outlier) describes observations that lie far from the main cluster of data. Outlying points can indicate natural variability, measurement errors, or novel phenomena. Analysts use methods such as robust statistics, transformation, or investigation to determine whether to exclude or adjust such points. The term outlier is more common in this context, with outlying used as a modifier or verb form.

In other contexts, the term can apply to ecology, historical geography, or everyday language to describe remote pockets of territory or features that do not belong to the central mass.

Its etymology traces to outlie, meaning to lie beyond or away from a center.