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View synonyms for

mercenary

[mur-suh-ner-ee]

adjective

  1. working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal.

    Synonyms: , , ,
    Antonyms: , ,
  2. hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc.



noun

plural

mercenaries 
  1. a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.

  2. any hireling.

mercenary

/ ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ, -sɪnrɪ /

adjective

  1. influenced by greed or desire for gain

  2. of or relating to a mercenary or mercenaries

“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

noun

  1. a man hired to fight for a foreign army, etc

  2. rareany person who works solely for pay

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • mercenarily adverb
  • mercenariness noun
  • nonmercenary adjective
  • unmercenarily adverb
  • unmercenariness noun
  • unmercenary adjective
  • ˈԲ adverb
  • ˈԲԱ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mercenary1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mercenarie, from Latin ŧԲܲ “working for pay, hired worker, mercenary,” perhaps from earlier ŧ()ܲ (unrecorded), from ŧ徱- (unrecorded), variant stem of ŧ “payment, wage” (akin to merx “gǴǻ”; merchant ) + -ary
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mercenary1

C16: from Latin ŧܲ, from ŧ wages
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But she’s also a marriage-minded mercenary who can pitch one potential client on soppy platitudes about till death do you part, and immediately pivot to assuring a bride that it’s just a business deal.

From

He also become friendly with a number of mercenaries, who taught him how to get a false passport, obtain a gun and break an enemy's neck.

From

The other man, a former Colombian police officer, said he worked as a medic alongside other international mercenaries from Venezuela and Guatemala.

From

The Russian mercenary group has been operating there since 2021, working with the military to challenge Islamist militants.

From

As an angry orphan, Eve was taken in by Anjelica Huston’s Director, who runs a co-ed academy of fledgling mercenaries called the Ruska Roma.

From

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