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
Governments, corporations and individuals seeking cyber muscle can tap into a growing ecosystem of mercenary hackers offering services ranging from penetration testing and network security assessments to corporate espionage and cyber warfare.
—
Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Neither Evil Steve Jobs nor his mercenary lackey are given much of a motor and oppressive presence.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
Vladimir Putin has relied on mercenary and convict soldiers, combined with lavish bonuses for poor Russians who volunteer to try their luck against killer Ukrainian robots on the steppe.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2025
Since invading Ukraine, Putin has regularly invoked old arguments about Russia’s imperial role in the world, yet his references amount to a mercenary patchwork.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Neither Evil Steve Jobs nor his mercenary lackey are given much of a motor and oppressive presence.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
Vladimir Putin has relied on mercenary and convict soldiers, combined with lavish bonuses for poor Russians who volunteer to try their luck against killer Ukrainian robots on the steppe.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2025
Since invading Ukraine, Putin has regularly invoked old arguments about Russia’s imperial role in the world, yet his references amount to a mercenary patchwork.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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Conservatives, in their minds, are just always evil, mean, greedy, bad demons.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
16 May 2025
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Here’s some truth that many women are not accustomed to hearing: wanting to be wealthy is not greedy.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Like Sánchez, many Chicago-area Catholics are making the nearly 4,000-mile pilgrimage to the Vatican to witness the inauguration Mass and other papal events this month, eager to celebrate one of their own rising to become Catholicism’s spiritual leader.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2025
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Sometimes the person accepting the soft promotion is eager to move up the ladder.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The comedy-drama follows a Gen Z content creator who returns to her ancestral home seeking viral material, only to encounter her deceased brother’s ghost while dealing with avaricious relatives.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
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This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.—
Christine Winter,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Banijay has been among the most acquisitive independent TV makers of recent years, and now reportedly has its sights on ITV.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2025
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But throughout his seemingly acquisitive run, Lowry has surely brought innovative art to the institution.—
Rachel Corbett,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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