Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Located at a considerable distance from a center or main area: Describes something situated far from the central or most active part of a place, region, or system.
   • Remote or peripheral: Refers to areas that are distant and often less accessible or developed compared to a central hub.

Usage

The adjective "outlying" is used attributively (before a noun) to describe the relative remoteness of a place or thing. It often implies a relationship to a more central, important, or populated area.

Examples

• The police expanded their search to include outlying villages.
• Commuting from outlying suburbs to the city center can take over an hour.
• The university has several outlying research stations in the mountains.

Advanced Usage

• "outlying areas/regions/districts": A common collocation emphasizing parts of a territory that are far from the core.
  • The new infrastructure project aims to connect the outlying districts to the capital.
• "outlying islands": Frequently used to describe islands that are distant from a main island or archipelago.
  • Ferry services to the outlying islands are often disrupted by bad weather.

Variants and Related Words

• Outlier (noun): Something (or someone) that lies far outside the norm or main group. In statistics, it is a data point markedly different from others.
  • His radical views made him an outlier in the political party.
• Outlie (verb, rare/archaic): To lie outside of.

Synonyms

• Distant: Far away in space or time.
• Remote: Situated far from the main centers of population; distant.
• Peripheral: Relating to or situated on the edge or periphery.
• Far-flung: Distributed over a vast area (often implies widespread scatter).

Antonyms

• Central: At the point or in the area that is in the middle of something.
• Inner: Situated inside or further in.
• Core: The central or most important part.

Related Phrases

• "in outlying areas": A prepositional phrase describing location.
  • Internet access is still limited in outlying areas.
• "the outlying parts of": A phrase specifying a section of a larger whole.
  • They explored the outlying parts of the ancient forest.

Adjective

1. relatively far from a center or middle
   • outlying settlements