Word Adjective
outlying
adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˈaʊtˌɫaɪɪŋ/ UK /aʊtlˈaɪɪŋ/ out·ly·ing
Definition
adj.describing a place that is far away from the main town or center.
adj.situated far from a main center, settlement, or population hub. Typically used attributively before the noun it modifies.
Examples
“The bus only goes to the outlying villages.”
“The city council is planning to improve public transport links for residents in the outlying suburbs.”
“While the central districts saw immediate economic recovery, the outlying regions remained isolated from the new trade routes for several decades.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun; rarely used after a linking verb.
Etymology
From outlie (Etymology 2) + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated