Is an anomaly the same as an outlier?

An anomaly and an outlier are related concepts, but they are not the same. An outlier is a data point that significantly differs from other observations in a dataset, often due to variability or measurement error. An anomaly, on the other hand, refers to an unexpected pattern or occurrence that may indicate a significant deviation from the norm and could suggest a novel or important finding. While all anomalies can be considered outliers, not all outliers are necessarily anomalies.