mercenary
mercenary Lexical Profile
mercenary Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics or personal integrity.
"His motives for marrying into the prominent family were purely mercenary."
Relating to or acting as a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.
"The regime attempted to crush the uprising by deploying mercenary troops across the southern provinces."
• noun
A professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army, distinct from troops formally enlisted by a sovereign state.
"The multinational corporation allegedly employed mercenaries to protect its overseas mining operations."
A person who acts primarily for personal or financial gain, often demonstrating a lack of ethical constraints.
"Critics dismissed the political consultant as a mere mercenary willing to work for whichever candidate offered the highest fee."
• Rhymes for mercenary
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Latin 'mercenarius' (hired worker, soldier), derived from 'merces' meaning 'wages' or 'reward'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.