noun
mercenary
MUR-suh-nuh-ree
noun
1
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."
2
Someone motivated chiefly by money or personal profit.
"Critics called the lawyer a mercenary, chasing the biggest payout rather than justice."
adj
1
Motivated purely by money or personal gain.
"His mercenary approach to friendship put a lot of people off."
How to Use Mercenary
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA hired fighter, or (more broadly) anyone acting purely for money.
Common pairings
hired mercenary
mercenary motives
purely mercenary
Word Forms
more mercenary comparative, mercenaries plural, most mercenary superlative
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Etymology
From Latin mercēnārius ("hired for money"), from mercēs ("wages, reward").