Uyghur

American  

[wee-goor] / ˈwi gʊər /

(Older Spelling) Uighur,

noun

Uyghurs, plural Uyghur plural

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

Derived Forms

• Uyghurian
  adjective
• Uyghuric
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Uyghur
  plural
• Uyghurs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Uyghur

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Uyghur Uyghurs

In an interview with the New York Times, family friend Adam Nijiati said that Aikebaer was part of a small Uyghur community where he resided with his wife and three daughters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

She went on to be the UN rights chief, a sensitive role in which she alienated some countries, especially China, which mauled her for reporting on Beijing's alleged abuses of the country's Uyghur minority group.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Rubio, who has never visited China, was an outspoken critic of Beijing's human rights record while a senator, championing legislation that brought sanctions over Beijing's alleged use of forced labor from the Uyghur minority.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

Previously students could study most of the curriculum in their native language such as Tibetan, Uyghur or Mongolian.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

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

The blast came weeks after Thailand's then-ruling junta forcibly repatriated 109 Uyghurs to China, prompting speculation that it was part of a revenge plot.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, chair of the Uyghur Tribunal, which is investigating atrocities against the minority group, was also sanctioned, as was Newcastle University academic Jo Smith Finley, whose research focuses on the Uyghurs.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

The prime minister has confirmed to the BBC that he did raise the Lai case and the treatment of Uyghurs "as you would expect" with President Xi.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

A US immigration judge on Wednesday granted asylum to a Chinese man who fled his country after documenting sites of alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs, his mother and lawyer told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

The 38-year-old read about Chinese ill treatment of the ethnic Uyghurs from foreign sources on the internet, and he traveled to Xinjiang province at great personal risk to see for himself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026