mercenary

[ mur-suh-ner-ee ]

/ ˈmɜr səˌnɛr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mercenary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc.

noun, plural mer·ce·nar·ies.

a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.

any hireling.

Nearby words

mercator projection, mercator sailing, mercator track, merced, mercedes, mercenary, mercer, mercer island, mercerize, mercery, merch

Origin of mercenary

1350–1400; Middle English mercenarie < Latin mercēnnārius working for pay, hired worker, mercenary, perhaps, representing earlier *mercēd(i)nārius, equivalent to *mercēdin-, stem of *mercēdō, a by-form of mercēs, stem mercēd- payment, wage (akin to merx goods; cf. merchant) + -ārius -ary

SYNONYMS FOR mercenary

1 grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.

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ANTONYMS FOR mercenary

1 altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.

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Related forms

mer·ce·nar·i·ly

[mur-suh-nair-uh-lee, mur-suh-ner-] /ˌmɜr səˈnɛər ə li, ˈmɜr səˌnɛr-/, adverbmer·ce·nar·i·ness, nounnon·mer·cen·ar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·mer·cen·ar·ies.un·mer·ce·nar·i·ly, adverb

un·mer·ce·nar·i·ness, nounun·mer·ce·nar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mercenary

As a former agent himself, Horrigan hopes to disabuse renters of the notion that brokers are mercenary con artists.
From a Broken Lease, a Dream NYC Home|Lizzie Crocker|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I did not have enough money to bribe the judge, so I decided to become a mercenary,” Mozhayev told a local reporter.
The Kremlin’s Crazy Shock Troops|Oleg Shynkarenko|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The scene ends with a Street Fighter-like battle between Captain America and a mercenary.
How ‘Captain America’ Almost Got It Right but Ended Up Being a Dud|Sujay Kumar|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By mid-to-late evening, there was overwhelming evidence that Russia was using a mix of mercenary and conscript forces.
Russia Stages a Coup in Crimea|Michael Weiss|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A dreamy, blue-eyed rebel is approached by a mercenary wearing a scary mask.
‘Sleepy Hollow’ Is TV’s Craziest, Most Over-the-Top New Show ... And You Should Watch It|Amy Zimmerman|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If she took money from him—the mercenary, painted baggage I—why, then, she'll take it from me.
My Novel, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
John Boler was not mercenary, but this offer gave him keen delight.
A Thoughtless Yes|Helen H. Gardener
Delamere, chancellor of the exchequer, promoted in the sequel to the rank of earl of Warrington, was close and mercenary.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II.|Tobias Smollett
With them the mercenary and the pecuniary are ever distinct from the religious.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
He had only two love affairs; 220 the first brought him the reputation of mercenary aims, and the second almost ruined his life.
Graham of Claverhouse|Ian Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for mercenary

mercenary

/ (ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ, -sɪnrɪ) /

adjective

influenced by greed or desire for gain

of or relating to a mercenary or mercenaries

noun plural -naries

a man hired to fight for a foreign army, etc

rare any person who works solely for pay

Derived Forms

mercenarily, adverbmercenariness, noun

Word Origin for mercenary

C16: from Latin mercēnārius, from mercēs wages

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