MERCENARY Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of mercenary The recent series of events—none of which, on their face, are as dramatic as an armed uprising of mercenary fighters—has created a sense that the political system is at once tightly controlled and utterly rudderless. —

Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026 Following coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead. —

Molly Quell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 His litany of urgently treacly smashes was the soundtrack of that era, both a master class in minimal form that updated the mercenary structures of the Brill Building and Frank Sinatra, and also a cool and controlled reimagining of the sensual soul music of the late ’60s through the mid-70s. —

New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Camara was Mali’s defense minister, and is widely credited with bringing in Moscow’s mercenary Africa Corps to assist in battling the militia. —

Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mercenary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary

Adjective

The Democratic Party was being greedy.

— Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026
So perhaps there will be a Season 8, though with two unaired seasons still to come later this year and next, asking for more feels greedy.

— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026