mercenary

18 synonyms and 2 antonyms for mercenary, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A soldier who fights for pay rather than out of loyalty to a country or cause.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

commercial

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

bravo freelance

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

adventurer condottiere filibuster freebooter free companion hired gun hireling hit man merc private military contractor sellsword soldier of fortune materialistic mercantile moneymaking

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A soldier who fights for pay rather than out of loyalty to a country or cause.

“The warlord's army was made up largely of foreign mercenaries.”

adventurer bravo condottiere filibuster freebooter freelance free companion hired gun hireling hit man merc private military contractor sellsword soldier of fortune

2. adj

Motivated purely by money or personal gain.

“His mercenary approach to friendship put a lot of people off.”

commercial materialistic freelance mercantile moneymaking

Opposites

disinterested generous

How to use mercenary

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

hired mercenary mercenary motives purely mercenary

Etymology

From Latin mercēnārius ("hired for money"), from mercēs ("wages, reward").

Full origin of mercenary →

Frequently asked questions

What does “mercenary” mean?

The word “mercenary” means a soldier who fights for pay rather than out of loyalty to a country or cause. In plain terms, a hired fighter, or (more broadly) anyone acting purely for money.

How do you pronounce “mercenary”?

“Mercenary” is pronounced MUR-suh-nuh-ree (/ˈmɝ.sə.ˌnɛɹ.i/ in IPA).

How do you use “mercenary” in a sentence?

Here is “mercenary” used in a sentence: “Critics called the lawyer a mercenary, chasing the biggest payout rather than justice.”

What is another word for “mercenary”?

Words with a similar meaning to “mercenary” include adventurer, bravo, condottiere, filibuster, freebooter and freelance.

What part of speech is “mercenary”?

Depending on how it is used, “mercenary” can be a noun and an adjective.

Where does the word “mercenary” come from?

The word “mercenary” comes from Latin. From Latin mercēnārius ("hired for money"), from mercēs ("wages, reward").

Is “mercenary” a common word?

“Mercenary” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C2 level.

How many meanings does “mercenary” have?

“Mercenary” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a soldier who fights for pay rather than out of loyalty to a country or cause.

People also searched

commercial generous bravo freelance mercantile adventurer freebooter hireling filibuster materialistic disinterested Merc

Nearby words

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