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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Recent Examples of mercenary
With his gregarious nature and hard-drinking demeanor, Lobo is an intimidating extraterrestrial mercenary and bounty hunter, but his origin story is brutal, even by those standards.
—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
6 June 2026
The battle shaped up with 2,800 Americans facing 8,000 Hessians (mercenary soldiers from six German territories in the Holy Roman Empire.
—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
The plot is based around a routine jury site visit that turns deadly when a mercenary kill team led by Hewitt (Adkins) storms the location in search of a secret ledger detailing citywide corruption.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 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
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
6 June 2026
The battle shaped up with 2,800 Americans facing 8,000 Hessians (mercenary soldiers from six German territories in the Holy Roman Empire.
—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
The plot is based around a routine jury site visit that turns deadly when a mercenary kill team led by Hewitt (Adkins) storms the location in search of a secret ledger detailing citywide corruption.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 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
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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Nature with its blind eyes and greedy fingers.
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At his sentencing in 2024, Bailyn, the prosecutor, described Lorquet as a greedy criminal who fleeced his country at one of its weakest moments in history.
Adjective
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Now, the 49‑year‑old turns his attention to an NBA roster headlined by Flagg and a Mavericks team eager to return to championship contention.
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Some ships, eager to get out of harm’s the war’s way, may have their vessels towed tug their boats out of the strait before they’re cleaned.
Adjective
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Played by a Colman Domingo who is done up to look the most wax figurine of them all in a shellacking of makeup, prosthetics, and colored contacts, Joe is always either giving an avaricious open-mouthed leer or a cold-eyed glare.
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There’s a quasi-heist theme to The Christophers, which revolves around an acclaimed artist (McKellen), who has long since stopped making new work, and his avaricious children (Gunning and Corden) who try to enlist Coel to complete some of their dad’s unfinished paintings.
Adjective
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All this acquisitive activity has turned the majority of physicians into employees rather than independent operators.
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Looking back on his 27 years with the bank, Gentry said the timing, loopholes, tax strategies and negotiations that gave the business its acquisitive edge were not because of dumb luck.
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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