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
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
In many other places, the fighters have moved into other mercenary formations.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
At the height of its power, the Russian mercenary outfit known as the Wagner Group numbered tens of thousands of soldiers who were dispatched to Ukraine, Syria, and several African countries.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
The Bulls are not adopting the most mercenary mechanisms of tanking.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
In many other places, the fighters have moved into other mercenary formations.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
At the height of its power, the Russian mercenary outfit known as the Wagner Group numbered tens of thousands of soldiers who were dispatched to Ukraine, Syria, and several African countries.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
The Bulls are not adopting the most mercenary mechanisms of tanking.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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Some greedy and power-hungry people don’t like it.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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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
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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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Moreover, the streamers that have taken a more acquisitive approach to live sports content are highly selective.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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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 9 Apr. 2026.
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