mercenary


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mer·ce·nar·y

(mûr′sə-nĕr′ē)
adj.
1. Motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain.
2. Hired for service in a foreign army.
n. pl. mer·ce·nar·ies
1. One who serves or works merely for monetary gain; a hireling.
2. A professional soldier hired for service in a foreign army.
[Middle English mercenarie, a mercenary, from Old French mercenaire, from Latin mercēnnārius, from mercēs, wages, price.]
mer′ce·nar′i·ly adv.
mer′ce·nar′i·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mercenary

(ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ; -sɪnrɪ)
adj
1. influenced by greed or desire for gain
2. (Military) of or relating to a mercenary or mercenaries
n, pl -naries
3. (Military) a man hired to fight for a foreign army, etc
4. rare any person who works solely for pay
[C16: from Latin mercēnārius, from mercēs wages]
ˈmercenarily adv
ˈmercenariness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mer•ce•nar•y

(ˈmɜr səˌnɛr i)

adj., n., pl. -nar•ies. adj.
1. working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal.
2. hired to serve in a foreign army.
n.
3. a soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.
4. any hireling.
[1350–1400; Middle English mercenarie < Latin mercēnnārius hired worker, akin to mercēs wage]
mer`ce•nar′i•ly (-ˈnɛər ə li) adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. mercenary - a person hired to fight for another country than their own
adventurer, venturer - a person who enjoys taking risks
ninja - a member of the ninja who were trained in martial arts and hired for espionage or sabotage or assassinations; a person skilled in ninjutsu
Adj. 1. [画像:mercenary - marked by materialism]mercenary - marked by materialism
worldly, secular, temporal - characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world; "worldly goods and advancement"; "temporal possessions of the church"
2. mercenary - serving for wages in a foreign army; "mercenary killers"
paid - marked by the reception of pay; "paid work"; "a paid official"; "a paid announcement"; "a paid check"
3. [画像:mercenary - profit oriented]mercenary - profit oriented; "a commercial book"; "preached a mercantile and militant patriotism"- John Buchan; "a mercenary enterprise"; "a moneymaking business"
commercial - connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises; "commercial trucker"; "commercial TV"; "commercial diamonds"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

mercenary

noun
1. hireling, freelance (History), soldier of fortune, condottiere (History), free companion (History) In the film he plays a brutish, trigger-happy mercenary.
adjective
1. greedy, grasping, acquisitive, venal, avaricious, covetous, money-grubbing (informal), bribable Despite his mercenary motives, he is not a cynic.
greedy liberal, generous, benevolent, idealistic, altruistic, philanthropic, unselfish, munificent
2. hired, paid, bought, venal The mercenary soldier is not a valued creature.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

mercenary

adjective
Ruthlessly seeking personal advantage:
Informal: crooked.
noun
A freelance fighter:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مادّي، يَهُمُّه كَسْب المالمُرْتَزِق
mercenari
žoldnéřzištnýžoldák
beregnendelejesoldat
palkkasotilaspalkkasoturirahanahne
plaćenicaplaćenik
zsoldoszsoldoskatonakalmárszellemû
mála-, málaliîa-málaliîi
傭兵
savanaudiškas
algotņimantkārīgsnaudaskārs
huurling
najemnik
zištnýžoldnier
para canlısıparacıparalı asker

mercenary

[ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ]
A. ADJ → mercenario
B. N → mercenario/a m/f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

mercenary

[ˈmɜːrsɪnəri]
adj [person] → mercenaire ; [motives, considerations, reasons] → mercantile
n (= soldier) → mercenaire m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

mercenary

adj
person → geldgierig ; his motives were purely mercenary → er tat es nur des Geldes wegen; don’t be so mercenary → sei doch nicht so hinter dem Geld her (inf)
(Mil) → Söldner-; mercenary army → Söldnerarmee f
n → Söldner(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

mercenary

[ˈmɜːsɪn/ərɪ]
1. adj (person) → mercenario/a; (motive) → venale
2. n → mercenario
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

mercenary

(ˈməːsinəri) adjective
too strongly influenced by desire for money. a mercenary attitude. omkoopbaar مادّي، يَهُمُّه كَسْب المال користен mercenário zištný gewinnsüchtig beregnende παραδόπιστος, συμφεροντολόγος interesado omakasupüüdlik آدم اجیر voitonhimoinen intéressé רוֹדֵף בֶּצַע भाड़े का, धन-लोलुप plaćenički kalmárszellemű tamak mála-, málaliða- mercenario, venale 金銭づくの 돈만 바라는, 보수가 목적인 gobšus, savanaudiškas mantkārīgs; naudaskārs tamak geldzuchtig kremmeraktig, pengegrisk chciwy اجير او غريب mercenário mercantil корыстный zištný koristoljuben koristoljubiv vinningslysten เห็นแก่เงิน paracı, para canlısı 唯利是圖的 корисливий زر طلب vụ lợi 贪财的,唯利是图的
noun – plural ˈmercenaries –
a soldier from one country who hires his services to another country. Mercenaries are fighting in Africa. geldsoldaat, huursoldaat مُرْتَزِق наемник mercenário žoldnéř der Söldner lejesoldat μισθοφόρος mercenario palgasõdur سرباز مزدور palkkasoturi mercenaire שְׂכִיר חֶרֶב किराये का सैनिक plaćenici zsoldos (katona) tentara bayaran málaliði mercenario 傭兵 용병 samdinys algotņi askar upahan huursoldaat leiesoldat najemnik بهرنى سرتيرى mercenário mercenar наёмник žoldnier najemnik plaćeni vojnik legosoldat ทหารรับจ้าง paralı asker 外籍傭兵 найманець غیر ملکی ملازمت میں کرائے کا فوجی lính đánh thuê 外国雇佣兵
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
The mercenary captains are either capable men or they are not; if they are, you cannot trust them, because they always aspire to their own greatness, either by oppressing you, who are their master, or others contrary to your intentions; but if the captain is not skilful, you are ruined in the usual way.
And if it be urged that whoever is armed will act in the same way, whether mercenary or not, I reply that when arms have to be resorted to, either by a prince or a republic, then the prince ought to go in person and perform the duty of a captain; the republic has to send its citizens, and when one is sent who does not turn out satisfactorily, it ought to recall him, and when one is worthy, to hold him by the laws so that he does not leave the command.
"Pray, my dear aunt, what is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive?
View in context
I am the most mercenary little wretch that ever lived in the world.'
But when I had been disappointed of my splendid fortune, and came to see it from day to day in other hands, and to have before my eyes what it could really do, then I became the mercenary little wretch I am.'
"My Father (he continued) is a mean and mercenary wretch--it is only to such particular freinds as this Dear Party that I would thus betray his failings.
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Harthouse,' said Tom, softening in his admiration of his patron, but shaking his head sullenly too, 'you can't tell her that I ever praised her for being mercenary. I may have praised her for being the contrary, and I should do it again, if I had as good reason.
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The administration of Sir Edmund Andros lacked scarcely a single characteristic of tyranny: a Governor and Council, holding office from the King, and wholly independent of the country; laws made and taxes levied without concurrence of the people immediate or by their representatives; the rights of private citizens violated, and the titles of all landed property declared void; the voice of complaint stifled by restrictions on the press; and, finally, disaffection overawed by the first band of mercenary troops that ever marched on our free soil.
And the mercenary soldiers, waiting but the word to deluge the street with blood, showed the only means by which obedience could be secured.
Lecount's cool avowal, when she rose to leave us, of her own mercenary motives in wishing to discover her master and to enlighten him.
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"And you say the Swiss are mercenary, as a parrot says 'Poor Poll,' or as the Belgians here say the English are not brave, or as the French accuse them of being perfidious: there is no justice in your dictums."
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And now, here was the man--whom I had always believed to be a smooth-tongued impostor--justifying the very worst that I had thought of him, and plainly revealing the mercenary object of the marriage, on his side!
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