An "outlier" is a data point that differs significantly from other observations in a dataset. It can be much higher or lower than the average, indicating that it may not fit the general trend. Outliers can arise from variability in the data or may indicate experimental errors or unique phenomena. In statistics, identifying outliers is important because they can skew results and affect analyses. Techniques such as the IQR (Interquartile Range) method or Z-scores are often used to detect outliers. Understanding outliers helps researchers and analysts make more accurate interpretations of their data.