Outsized means much larger than normal, expected, or appropriate. When something is outsized, it stands out because of its unusual size or scale.

A basketball player might have outsized hands that help him grip and control the ball better than most players. A CEO might receive an outsized salary that seems enormous compared to what other employees earn. If someone has an outsized personality, they're more energetic, louder, or more memorable than most people in the room.

The word often describes things that seem disproportionate. A small mistake might have outsized consequences if it leads to much bigger problems than you'd expect. A tiny country might have an outsized influence on world politics if other nations pay close attention to what it does. When something is outsized, there's usually a mismatch: the effect is bigger than the cause, the reaction is stronger than the situation calls for, or the thing itself is simply much larger than what surrounds it.

Think of it this way: if your backpack is full, that's normal. If your backpack is so stuffed it barely closes, that's very full. But if you're carrying a backpack the size of a small car, that's outsized.