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
Following the 2004 Man on Fire movie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is ready to take the reins from Denzel Washington as the leading ex-mercenary.
—
Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
But the mercenary, one-and-done teams aren’t the ones who chase the ultimate prize.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
This British production from Hammer Films and director Roy Ward Baker showcases moon maidens, old-fashioned lunar shootouts, buggy chases, and an ex-astronaut turned mercenary salvager trying to snag a 6000-pound sapphire asteroid from orbit for a billionaire industrialist.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
The Central African Republic is one of the countries where Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, was first active in Africa.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
But the mercenary, one-and-done teams aren’t the ones who chase the ultimate prize.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
This British production from Hammer Films and director Roy Ward Baker showcases moon maidens, old-fashioned lunar shootouts, buggy chases, and an ex-astronaut turned mercenary salvager trying to snag a 6000-pound sapphire asteroid from orbit for a billionaire industrialist.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
The Central African Republic is one of the countries where Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, was first active in Africa.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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The first time, Julian’s children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning) seemed like miserable, greedy wretches.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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But whether or not the good are rewarded, the greedy get their comeuppance, or old creative sparks are rekindled soon become beside the point.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Ground zero Last year, Glenn Roquemore, who chairs the education committee of the Flying Leathernecks Heritage Foundation, was searching for eager students to build the iconic Jenny plane, based off of one that had been crashed and never restored.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
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The casting has been highly anticipated, with fans eager to see how the EmHen universe love stories will translate onscreen — even going so far as to share dream casting choices.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Henwick’s Ruth, opposite Margaret Qualley’s avaricious Julia, represent a fork in the road for Becket.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Moreover, the streamers that have taken a more acquisitive approach to live sports content are highly selective.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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