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
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
No investment, then mercenary mode kicks in for many pros.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
And mercenary pros could Benedict Arnold their former college teams by playing for a hated rival.
—Zach Przystup, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
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
No investment, then mercenary mode kicks in for many pros.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
And mercenary pros could Benedict Arnold their former college teams by playing for a hated rival.
—Zach Przystup, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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The record labels are very greedy.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2026
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People have to suffer in order for people to be really greedy.—
Maria Bamford,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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As pressure mounts to identify the gunman, opportunists emerge from every corner, eager to exploit the chaos and dismantle the empire Madam fought to build.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
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The German club are unable to activate the clause in the original contract, believed to be worth around €20m, but are seeking a renegotiation, with the Portuguese midfielder eager to stay.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
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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.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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All this acquisitive activity has turned the majority of physicians into employees rather than independent operators.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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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.—
Chase Jordan
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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