mercenary

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: mer=ce=nar=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

mercenary, a. [OE. mercenarie, F. mercenaire, fr. L. mercenarius, fr. merces wages, reward. See Mercy.].

•  Acting for reward; serving for pay; paid; hired; hireling; venal; as, mercenary soldiers.  [1913 Webster]
•  Moved primarily by considerations of pay or profit; greedy of gain; sordid; selfish.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "For God forbid I should my papers blot
  With mercenary lines, with servile pen."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- See Venal.

mercenary, n. 

 One who is hired; a hireling; especially, a soldier hired into foreign service.  Milman.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

mercenary, adj. & n.
--adj. primarily concerned with money or other reward (mercenary motives).
--n. (pl. -ies) a hired soldier in foreign service.

Derivative

mercenariness n.

Etymology

ME f. L mercenarius f. merces -edis reward

THESAURUS

mercenary

a hog for, acquisitive, adventurer, all-devouring, assistant, avaricious, avid, bottomless, bought, bribable, chartered, condottiere, corrupt, corruptible, coveting, covetous, devouring, drudge, employed, employee, esurient, free lance, girl Friday, gluttonous, gobbling, grabby, grasping, greedy, grub, grubber, gun, gunman, hack, hired, hired gun, hired hand, hired killer, hired man, hireling, hoggish, insatiable, insatiate, leased, let, limitless, man Friday, miserly, money-hungry, money-mad, myrmidon, omnivorous, on the take, overgreedy, paid, pensioner, piggish, predatory, professional killer, purchasable, quenchless, rapacious, ravening, ravenous, rented, right-hand man, slakeless, slavey, soldier of fortune, sordid, subleased, sublet, swinish, unappeasable, unappeased, unethical, unprincipled, unquenchable, unsated, unsatisfied, unscrupulous, unslakeable, unslaked, venal, voracious, worker

ROGET THESAURUS

mercenary

Combatant

N combatant, disputant, controversialist, polemic, litigant, belligerent, competitor, rival, corrival, fighter, assailant, champion, Paladin, mosstrooper, swashbuckler fire eater, duelist, bully, bludgeon man, rough, prize fighter, pugilist, boxer, bruiser, the fancy, gladiator, athlete, wrestler, fighting-cock, game-cock, warrior, soldier, fighting man, Amazon, man at arms, armigerent, campaigner, veteran, swordsman, sabreur, redcoat, military man, Rajput, armed force, troops, soldiery, military forces, sabaoth, the army, standing army, regulars, the line, troops of the line, militia, yeomanry, volunteers, trainband, fencible, auxiliary, bersagliere, brave, garde-nationale, garde-royale, minuteman, auxiliary forces, reserve forces, reserves, posse comitatus, national guard, gendarme, beefeater, guards, guardsman, yeomen of the guard, life guards, household troops, janissary, myrmidon, Mama, Mameluke, spahee, spahi, Cossack, Croat, Pandoz, irregular, guerilla, partisan, condottiere, franctireur, tirailleur, bashi-bazouk, vietminh, vietcong, shining path, contras, huk, hukbalahap, mercenary, soldier of fortune, hired gun, gunfighter, gunslinger, bushwhacker, free lance, companion, Hessian, hit man torpedo, soldier, levy, draught, Landwehr, Landsturm, conscript, recruit, cadet, raw levies, infantry, infantryman, private, private soldier, foot soldier, Tommy Atkins, rank and file, peon, trooper, sepoy, legionnaire, legionary, cannon fodder, food for powder, officer, subaltern, ensign, standard bearer, spearman, pikeman, spear bearer, halberdier, lancer, musketeer, carabineer, rifleman, jager, sharpshooter, yager, skirmisher, grenadier, fusileer, archer, bowman, horse and foot, horse soldier, cavalry, horse, artillery, horse artillery, light horse, voltigeur, uhlan, mounted rifles, dragoon, hussar, light dragoon, heavy dragoon, heavy, cuirassier, Foot Guards, Horse Guards, gunner, cannoneer, bombardier, artilleryman, matross, sapper, sapper and miner, engineer, light infantry, rifles, chasseur, zouave, military train, coolie, army, corps d'armee, host, division, battalia, column, wing, detachment, garrison, flying column, brigade, regiment, corps, battalion, sotnia, squadron, company, platoon, battery, subdivision, section, squad, piquet, picket, guard, rank, file, legion, phalanx, cohort, cloud of skirmishers, war horse, charger, destrier, marine, man-of-war's man, navy, wooden walls, naval forces, fleet, flotilla, armada, squadron, man-of-war, destroyer, submarine, minesweeper, torpedo-boat, torpedo-destroyer, patrol torpedo boat, PT boat, torpedo- catcher, war castle, H, M, S, battleship, battle wagon, dreadnought, line of battle ship, ship of the line, aircraft carrier, carrier, flattop, helicopter carrier, missile platform, missile boat, ironclad, turret ship, ram, monitor, floating battery, first- rate, frigate, sloop of war, corvette, gunboat, bomb vessel, flagship, guard ship, cruiser, armored cruiser, protected cruiser, privateer, tender, store ship, troop ship, transport, catamaran, merchant marine.

Servant

N servant, subject, liegeman, servant, retainer, follower, henchman, servitor, domestic, menial, help, lady help, employe, attache, official, retinue, suite, cortege, staff, court, attendant, squire, usher, page, donzel, footboy, train bearer, cup bearer, waiter, lapster, butler, livery servant, lackey, footman, flunky, flunkey, valet, valet de chambre, equerry, groom, jockey, hostler, ostler, tiger, orderly, messenger, cad, gillie, herdsman, swineherd, barkeeper, bartender, bell boy, boots, boy, counterjumper, khansamah, khansaman, khitmutgar, yardman, bailiff, castellan, seneschal, chamberlain, major-domo, groom of the chambers, secretary, under secretary, assistant secretary, clerk, subsidiary, agent, subaltern, underling, understrapper, man, maid, maidservant, handmaid, confidente, lady's maid, abigail, soubrette, amah, biddy, nurse, bonne, ayah, nursemaid, nursery maid, house maid, parlor maid, waiting maid, chamber maid, kitchen maid, scullery maid, femme de chambre, femme fille, camarista, chef de cuisine, cordon bleu, cook, scullion, Cinderella, potwalloper, maid of all work, servant of all work, laundress, bedmaker, journeyman, charwoman, bearer, chokra, gyp (Cambridge), hamal, scout (Oxford), serf, vassal, slave, negro, helot, bondsman, bondswoman, bondslave, ame damnee, odalisque, ryot, adscriptus gleboe, villian, villein, beadsman, bedesman, sizar, pensioner, pensionary, client, dependant, dependent, hanger on, satellite, parasite, led captain, protege, ward, hireling, mercenary, puppet, tool, creature, badge of slavery, bonds, in the train of, in one's pay, in one's employ, at one's call, in bonds.

Price

N price, amount, cost, expense, prime cost, charge, figure, demand, damage, fare, hire, wages, value, dues, duty, toll, tax, impost, cess, sess, tallage, levy, abkari, capitation tax, poll tax, doomage, likin, gabel, gabelle, gavel, octroi, custom, excise, assessment, benevolence, tithe, tenths, exactment, ransom, salvage, tariff, brokerage, wharfage, freightage, bill, shot, priced, to the tune of, ad valorem, dutiable, mercenary, venal, no penny no paternoster, point d'argent point de Suisse, no longer pipe no longer dance, no song no supper, if you dance you have to pay the piper, you get what you pay for, there's no such thing as a free lunch, one may have it for, a bon marche.

Parsimony

N parsimony, parcity, parsimoniousness, stinginess, stint, illiberality, tenacity, avarice, greed, miser, niggard, churl, screw, skinflint, crib, codger, muckworm, scrimp, lickpenny, hunks, curmudgeon, Harpagon, harpy, extortioner, Jew, usurer, Hessian, pinch fist, pinch penny, parsimonious, penurious, stingy, miserly, mean, shabby, peddling, scrubby, penny wise, near, niggardly, close, fast handed, close handed, strait handed, close fisted, hard fisted, tight fisted, tight, sparing, chary, grudging, griping, illiberal, ungenerous, churlish, hidebound, sordid, mercenary, venal, covetous, usurious, avaricious, greedy, extortionate, rapacious, with a sparing hand, desunt inopioe multa avaritiae omnia, hoards after hoards his rising raptures fill, the unsunn'd heaps of miser's treasures.

Selfishness

N selfishness, self-love, self-indulgence, self-worship, self-interest, egotism, egoism, amour propre, nepotism, worldliness, world wisdom, illiberality, meanness, time-pleaser, time-server, tuft- hunter, fortune-hunter, jobber, worldling, egotist, egoist, monopolist, nepotist, dog in the manger, charity that begins at home, canis in praesepi, foes to nobleness, temporizer, trimmer, selfish, self-seeking, self-indulgent, self-interested, self- centered, wrapped up in self, wrapt up in self, centered in self, egotistic, egotistical, egoistical, illiberal, mean, ungenerous, narrow-minded, mercenary, venal, covetous, unspiritual, earthly, earthly-minded, mundane, worldly, worldly- minded, worldly-wise, timeserving, interested, alieni appetens sui profusus, ungenerously, to gain some private ends, from interested motives, apres nous le deluge.