Young Turk

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noun
  1. a member of a Turkish reformist and nationalist party that was founded in the latter part of the 19th century and was the dominant political party in Turkey in the period 1908–18.

  2. an insurgent in a political party, especially one belonging to a group or faction that supports liberal or progressive policies: The leadership of the party passed from the cautious old-line conservatives to the zealous Young Turks.

  1. Also young Turk, young turk . any person aggressively or impatiently advocating reform within an organization.

Origin of Young Turk

1
First recorded in 1900–05

Words Nearby Young Turk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Young Turk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Young Turk

Young Turk

noun
  1. a progressive, revolutionary, or rebellious member of an organization, political party, etc, esp one agitating for radical reform

  2. a member of an abortive reform movement in the Ottoman Empire, originally made up of exiles in W Europe who advocated liberal reforms. The movement fell under the domination of young Turkish army officers of a nationalist bent, who wielded great influence in the government between 1908 and 1918

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Young Turk

Young Turk

An insurgent person trying to take control of a situation or organization by force or political maneuver. The term originated from the mostly young Turkish officers who overthrew Ottoman rulers after World War I.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.