Uyghur

American  

[wee-goor] / ˈwi gʊər /

(Older Spelling) Uighur,

noun

plural

Uyghurs,

plural

Uyghur

1. a member of a predominantly Muslim Turkic-speaking people, dominant in Mongolia and eastern Turkestan from the 8th to 12th centuries a.d., and now living in northwestern China, mainly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

2. the Turkic language of the Uyghurs.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Uyghurs or their language.

Other Word Forms

• Uyghurian adjective
• Uyghuric adjective

Etymology

Origin of Uyghur

First recorded in 1840–45; from Uyghur; a self-designation of the Uyghur people

Example Sentences

The prime minister said he had also raised contentious issues including the jailing of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai and the treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

A Chinese citizen who fled the country after gathering evidence of alleged human-rights violations against the nation’s Uyghur population is at risk of being returned there after being detained by U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

In Xinjiang, around a million Uyghur Muslims have been detained in “re-education” camps, as is well documented.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Tensions escalated throughout the 1990s and 2000s as Uyghur allegations of marginalisation by Han Chinese spurred separatist sentiments and deadly attacks, which intensified Beijing's crackdown.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

RFA said that China has already taken transmission signals vacated by the outlet and has increased its own broadcasting in Uyghur and Tibetan.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025