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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. rare.
    any 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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Derived Forms

  • ˈԲ, adverb
  • ˈԲԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ··Բ·· [mur-s, uh, -, nair, -, uh, -lee, mur, -s, uh, -ner-], adverb
  • c·Բi·Ա noun
  • ԴDz·c·y adjective noun plural nonmercenaries
  • ܲm··Բi· adverb
  • un·c·Բi·Ա noun
  • ܲ·c·Բy adjective
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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.

On the face of it the speed of this turnaround suggests Inter was a mercenary means to an end rather than a seminal moment.

From

There’s a total lack of suspense as he tracks down the mercenaries responsible for Sarah’s death and takes them out using his own creative means.

From

Sudan argues that these atrocities were enabled by extensive financial, military and political support from the UAE, including arms shipments, drone training and the recruitment of mercenaries.

From

Two years later, Kilmer starred as a mercenary swordsman in Willow, the fantasy adventure directed by Ron Howard.

From

Does President Noboa want Mr Prince to bring mercenaries to the country?

From

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