Outer Gods are the highest tier of deities in the Cthulhu Mythos hierarchy, identified with fundamental cosmic forces rather than merely powerful alien beings. They are generally indifferent or oblivious to humanity. Chief among them are Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth, and Nyarlathotep.
The category as a formal classification was codified largely by post-Lovecraft contributors, particularly August Derleth. Lovecraft himself did not consistently distinguish between grades of deity.