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Meaning & use

mercenary

noun, adjective·Advanced

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UK/ˈmɜːsɪnəri/
US/ˈmɝːsəneri/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A professional fighter who serves in a foreign or private force because of the pay, not because of loyalty to a country or cause.

    Grammar: Refers to a person: the king hired mercenaries.

    Patterns

    • hire a mercenary
    • a mercenary army

    The king paid mercenaries to defend the border.

    Several mercenaries were arrested for plotting a coup.

    He worked as a mercenary in three different wars.

  2. adjectivecomparabledisapproving

    Interested only in making money or gaining personal advantage, with little concern for what is fair or right.

    Grammar: Usually critical; can come before a noun or after be.

    Patterns

    • a mercenary attitude
    • be mercenary about something

    Her mercenary approach to friendship upset everyone.

    The agent was so mercenary that he dropped clients who earned less.

    It felt mercenary to ask for a fee for such a small favor.

  3. adjectivebefore a noun

    Describing soldiers or forces that fight for payment, not out of loyalty.

    Grammar: Used before a noun: a mercenary soldier.

    Patterns

    • mercenary soldier
    • mercenary troops

    The city relied on mercenary troops for protection.

    A mercenary captain led the attack.

    Mercenary armies were common in medieval Europe.

Word forms

pluralmercenaries

Common combinations

hire mercenaries
The warlord hired mercenaries to guard his mines.
a mercenary soldier
The old film is about a mercenary soldier with a code of honor.
mercenary motives
Critics accused the minister of mercenary motives.
a mercenary attitude
His mercenary attitude to work made him unpopular.
private mercenary army
The country feared a private mercenary army on its soil.

Synonyms and how they differ

hired gun
Hired gun is informal and can describe any outside specialist paid to fight or argue, not only a soldier.
soldier of fortune
Soldier of fortune sounds more romantic and adventurous than the blunt word mercenary.
greedy
Greedy only describes wanting too much, while mercenary says money is the driving motive in a job or relationship.
venal
Venal is formal and means open to bribery, whereas mercenary means motivated by profit in general.

Opposites

idealisticselfless

Word family

mercenaries noun
plural of mercenary, paid soldiers
mercenarily adverb
in a way motivated by money (rare)
mercenariness noun
the quality of putting money first (rare)
merchant noun
related by origin; a person who trades for profit

Commonly confused: mercenary or missionary?

mercenary vs missionary

A missionary travels to spread a religion or cause, often without profit, which is the opposite spirit to a mercenary.

Practice

The kingdom could not trust its ___ soldiers, who changed sides whenever another ruler paid more.

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