mercenary

1 of 2

noun

mer·​ce·​nary ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce mercenary (audio)
-ne-rē
plural mercenaries
Synonyms of mercenarynext
: one that serves merely for wages
especially : a soldier hired into foreign service
mercenaries who guaranteed the success of the rebellion — B. F. Reilly

mercenary

2 of 2

adjective

1
: serving merely for pay or sordid advantage : venal
also : greedy
2
: hired for service in the army of a foreign country
mercenarily
ˌmər-sə-ˈner-ə-lē How to pronounce mercenary (audio)
-ˈne-rə-
adverb
mercenariness
ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē-nəs How to pronounce mercenary (audio)
-ˌne-rē-
noun

Synonyms

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of mercenary in a Sentence

Noun an army of foreign mercenaries Adjective His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary. they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned
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Noun
Meanwhile, Putin has assembled a coalition of enablers: China provides critical components for weapons systems; Iran and North Korea supply drones and armaments; Pyongyang sends thousands of mercenaries—paid for with funds that enrich the regime, not the soldiers—to serve as battlefield fodder. — Steve Forbes, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 Some years, the clubhouse will be populated with veteran mercenaries who have heard every version of a camp-opening speech. — Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
The prominent credit-card swiper offers 15 minutes for the high price of $15, and the show follows up on the Gemstones’ mercenary shamelessness later when someone working the telethon phone bank asks for a donor’s routing number. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025 Vladimir Putin has relied on mercenary and convict soldiers, combined with lavish bonuses for poor Russians who volunteer to try their luck against killer Ukrainian robots on the steppe. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mercenary

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Latin mercenarius, irregular from merced-, merces wages — more at mercy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mercenary was in the 14th century

Rhymes for mercenary

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Browse Nearby Words

mercenary
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Cite this Entry

“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercenary. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

mercenary

1 of 2 noun
mer·​ce·​nary ˈmərs-ᵊn-ˌer-ē How to pronounce mercenary (audio)
plural mercenaries
: one that serves only for wages
especially : a soldier hired by a foreign country to fight in its army

mercenary

2 of 2 adjective
1
: serving only for the pay or reward
mercenary armies
mercenary soldier
2
: greedy for money
mercenary business owners

More from Merriam-Webster on mercenary

Nglish: Translation of mercenary for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mercenary

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