mercenary

---

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/, /ˈmɜː.sən.ɹi/
• (GA) enPR: mûrʹsə-nĕr'ē, IPA: /ˈmɝsəˌnɛɹi/

Noun

mercenary (plural mercenaries)

1. (archaic) One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
2. A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
3. (figuratively) One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:mercenary

Translations

• French: mercenaire
• German: Söldner, Söldnerin
• Italian: mercenario
• Portuguese: mercenário
• Russian: наёмник
• Spanish: mercenario

Adjective

mercenary

1. Motivated by private gain.

   • For God forbid I should my papers blot / With mercenary lines, with servile pen.

Synonyms

• (motivated by private gain) greedy, venal
• (hired for a figurative battle) hired gun

Translations

• French: mercenaire
• German: käuflich, gewinnsüchtig, geldgierig
• Italian: mercenario
• Portuguese: mercenário
• Russian: коры́стный
• Spanish: mercenario

---

This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003