Synonyms of mercenary

mercenary

adjective

as in greedy

having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions

they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned

Synonyms & Similar Words

• greedy
• eager
• avaricious
• acquisitive
• covetous
• avid
• grasping
• rapacious
• moneygrubbing
• coveting
• materialistic
• grabby
• desirous
• miserly
• piggish
• insatiable
• egocentric
• hoggish
• ravenous
• gluttonous
• piggy
• discontented
• grudging
• malcontent
• egotistic
• commercialistic
• unquenchable
• egoistic
• resentful
• unsatisfied
• lickerish
• swinish
• voracious
• self-centered
• itchy
• begrudging
• discontent
• devouring
• self-seeking
• philistine
• gobbling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mercenary

Three years later, Fox commands his dad's mercenary band against Andross. — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 24 June 2026

The decision was preceded by several decades of fervent debate and disagreement among practitioners; detractors argued that adding the disorder was reckless, if not mercenary. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

At the center is Russia’s Africa Corps, formerly Wagner Group — a mercenary network that has propped up President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s government since 2018. — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 June 2026

But even measured in the most mercenary terms, using Medi-Cal funds to get Flores mental health care is a good investment. — Megan Greenwell, Bloomberg, 9 June 2026