mercenary

American  

[mur-suh-ner-ee] / ˈmɜr səˌnɛr i /

adjective

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

   Synonyms:

   covetous, avaricious, acquisitive, grasping

   Antonyms:

   unselfish, idealistic, altruistic

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

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noun

plural

mercenaries

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

2. any hireling.

mercenary British  

/ ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ, -sɪnrɪ /

adjective

1. influenced by greed or desire for gain

2. of or relating to a mercenary or mercenaries

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noun

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

2. rare any person who works solely for pay

Other Word Forms

• mercenarily adverb
• mercenariness noun
• nonmercenary adjective
• unmercenarily adverb
• unmercenariness noun
• unmercenary adjective

Etymology

Origin of mercenary

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mercenarie, from Latin mercēnnārius “working for pay, hired worker, mercenary,” perhaps from earlier mercēd(i)nārius (unrecorded), from mercēdin- (unrecorded), variant stem of mercēs “payment, wage” (akin to merx “goods”; merchant ) + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

But crucially the report notes that the RSF's military campaign was reinforced by foreign mercenaries equipped with "advanced weaponry and communications systems".

From BBC

Ebienfa cautioned Nigerians against accepting such offers, emphasising that they not only endanger lives but may also violate Nigerian and international laws concerning mercenary activities and foreign enlistment.

From BBC

And yet his approach to his craft is unusually earnest, devoid of the mystique that surrounds Kendrick Lamar or the mercenary commercial instincts of Drake, to name two of his peers.

From The Wall Street Journal

There have been reports of genuine Kenyan mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine but Mark and Erik, who were examined at the clinic, said they were never informed of their future military service.

From Barron's

At the time Alekseyev was filmed sitting with Prigozhin in a Russian military compound taken over by Wagner, trying to convince the mercenary chief to call off his troops.

From Barron's

Related Words

• acquisitive
• selfish
• unscrupulous