hireling

[ hahyuhr-ling ]

noun

1. a person who works only for pay, especially in a menial or boring job, with little or no concern for the value of the work.

   Synonyms: retainer, lackey, flunky, minion, menial

adjective

1. serving for pay only.
2. venal; mercenary.

hireling

/ ˈhaɪəlɪŋ /

noun

1. derogatory.
   a person who works only for money, esp one paid to do something unpleasant

Word History and Origins

Origin of hireling¹

First recorded before 1000; late Middle English hirlyng, Old English hȳrling; hire, -ling ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of hireling¹

Old English hӯrling; related to Dutch huurling; see hire , -ling ¹

Example Sentences

We always hear the first stanza, but in the third stanza there's a line that goes, "No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave."

From Salon

But after her hireling turned protege persuaded Deborah to revamp her act by making it more personal and intimate, the comedy veteran decided she needed to take her new show on the road.

From Washington Post

According to Stevenson University, a debate has raged about the meaning of the line "hireling and slave" and whether it flatly has racist tones or a "rhetorical tool."

From Fox News

“No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.”

From Washington Post

It pointed to the third verse of Francis Scott Key’s poem, which includes the line: “No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.”

From Washington Times