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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Some greedy and power-hungry people don’t like it.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The invader is a skillful art restorer, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who’s been hired by Julian’s greedy children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), to work, or pose, as their father’s new assistant.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For example, Stanford’s Eesley said that plenty of AI business customers are eager to try out new tools, but drop them after a trial period.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Why are men like Sam Bateman or Warren Jeffs eager to document so much of their criminal activity?—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Moreover, the streamers that have taken a more acquisitive approach to live sports content are highly selective.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
-
As Canva reckons with dramatic changes in the market, the design software vendor is getting acquisitive.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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