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

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

However, the calculation changes if Apple sends you a mercenary spyware notification. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 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

Appearing as push notifications, emails and messages within the settings app, Apple threat notifications are sent to users who may be targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026