Young Turk

American  

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.

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

---

Young Turk British  

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 a member of an abortive reform movement in the Ottoman Empire, originally made up of exiles in W Europe who advocated liberal reforms.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

---

Young Turk Cultural  

1. 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.

---

Etymology

Origin of Young Turk

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

It was late 1908, and that summer’s Young Turk Revolution had injected a new spirit of liberalization across the Ottoman Empire, which controlled much of what was then Palestine.

From New York Times • Oct. 31, 2021

When Young Turk James Lowe opened his bare-bones restaurant in East London in 2014, he named it after his grandmother.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2016

A 1920 treaty signed with the Ottoman Empire called for reparations, a homeland for the Armenians and prosecution of the Young Turk leadership.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2015

Young Turk 11:43 pm 04/1/2012 I was fooled.

From Scientific American • Apr. 2, 2012

The text of the scheme is to be found in the defined policy of the Young Turk party as set forth in their Congress of 1911.

From Crescent and Iron Cross by Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)