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 mer·ce·nar·ies.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈmercenarily, adverb
• ˈmercenariness, noun

Other Words From

• mer·ce·nar·i·ly [mur-s, uh, -, nair, -, uh, -lee, mur, -s, uh, -ner-], adverb
• merce·nari·ness noun
• non·mercen·ary adjective noun plural nonmercenaries
• unmer·ce·nari·ly adverb
• un·merce·nari·ness noun
• un·merce·nary 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

The Russian government has sent weapons, helicopters and mercenaries from the Wagner group to help Mali fight Islamist insurgents and rebels.

From New York Times

Russia, which has been seeking to gain more influence in Africa, has in recent years sent thousands of mercenaries to West and Central Africa to protect military regimes and help them fight insurgents.

From BBC

The organisation was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary leader who headed the Wagner Group until he launched a rebellion against Moscow and died in a plane crash.

From BBC

More broadly, Vance has demonstrated the requisite moral squishiness, flexible principles and mercenary instincts to be the former president’s running mate.

From Salon

A Russian court has sentenced a 72-year-old American citizen to almost seven years in jail for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.

From BBC

Related Words

• warrior