mercenary Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a person hired to fight for another country than their own
    soldier of fortune.
  2. adjective satellite marked by materialism
    worldly-minded; materialistic.
  3. adjective satellite serving for wages in a foreign army
    free-lance; freelance.
    • mercenary killers
  4. adjective satellite profit oriented
    moneymaking; mercantile.
    • a commercial book
    • preached a mercantile and militant patriotism"- John Buchan
    • a mercenary enterprise
    • a moneymaking business

WordNet

Mer"ce*na*ry adjective
Etymology
OE. mercenarie, F. mercenaire, fr. L. mercenarius, fr. merces wages, reward. See Mercy.
Definitions
  1. Acting for reward; serving for pay; paid; hired; hireling; venal; as, mercenary soldiers.
  2. Hence: Moved by considerations of pay or profit; greedy of gain; sordid; selfish. Shak.
    For God forbid I should my papers blot With mercenary lines, with servile pen. Daniel.
    Syn. -- See Venal.
Mer"ce*na*ry noun
Wordforms
plural Mercenaries
Definitions
  1. One who is hired; a hireling; especially, a soldier hired into foreign service. Milman.

Webster 1913