mercenary

[mur-suh-ner-ee]

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.

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercenary¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercenary¹

C16: from Latin mercēnārius, from mercēs wages

Example Sentences

Sudan's army has also accused it of providing weapons as well as mercenaries, including from Colombia, via neighbouring countries.

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Sudan's army accuses the United Arab Emirates of supporting the group with weapons and mercenaries sent via African nations.

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Both have left since the junta took over, and the military government has hired Russian mercenaries to tackle the insecurity.

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At the time the Sudanese government rejected "foreign interference" and any attempts that equated it with a "racist terrorist militia that relies on foreign mercenaries".

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South Africa's government says it has received distress calls from 17 citizens who have joined mercenary forces in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

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Related Words

• acquisitive 
• selfish 
• unscrupulous