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
• avaricious
• eager
• acquisitive
• covetous
• avid
• rapacious
• grasping
• moneygrubbing
• materialistic
• coveting
• grabby
• desirous
• miserly
• piggish
• insatiable
• egocentric
• hoggish
• ravenous
• gluttonous
• piggy
• malcontent
• discontented
• egotistic
• commercialistic
• unquenchable
• grudging
• egoistic
• unsatisfied
• lickerish
• swinish
• voracious
• resentful
• 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

When River’s mercenary father, Frank Harkness (Hugo Weaving), shows up at David Cartwright’s funeral, the puzzle gets even more complex. — Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Nobody comes off well; if anything, the snooty German Jews almost seem more vicious than the right-wing plotters, who are presented as mercenary and power-hungry rather than ideological. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

One event occurred in 2015 when the mercenary hacker collective Hacking Team used one against a target it had been contracted to infect. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026

Lee joins after inking a deal to star in Tygo, a Korean-language entry in the franchise centered on his former child soldier turned mercenary, which is in post-production. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026