mercenary

²mercenary

adj

Definition of MERCENARY

1

: serving merely for pay or sordid advantage : venal; also : greedy

2

: hired for service in the army of a foreign country

— mer·ce·nar·i·ly \ˌmər-sə-ˈner-ə-lē, -ˈne-rə-\ adverb

— mer·ce·nar·i·ness \ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē-nəs, -ˌne-rē-\ noun

Examples of MERCENARY

1. His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary.
2. <they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned>

First Known Use of MERCENARY

1532

Related to MERCENARY

Synonyms: acquisitive, avaricious, avid, coveting, covetous, grabby, grasping, greedy, moneygrubbing, rapacious

Related Words: commercialistic, materialistic, philistine; desirous, eager, itchy, lickerish, miserly; hoggish, piggish, piggy, swinish; devouring, gluttonous, gobbling, insatiable, ravenous, unquenchable, voracious; egocentric, egoistic (also egoistical), egotistic (or egotistical), self-centered, self-seeking; discontent, discontented, malcontent, unsatisfied; begrudging, grudging, resentful

Near Antonyms: nonmaterialistic; altruistic, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, freehanded, generous, greathearted, handsome, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, openhanded, openhearted, selfless, unselfish, unsparing; controlled, moderate, restrained, temperate; content, sated, satisfied

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Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical