as in greedy
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
they were a mercenary couple, who defined themselves not by what they were but by what they owned
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Recent Examples of mercenary
Bennett Conlin, editor: Former Terps legends Len Elmore and Tom McMillen wanted the program to avoid hiring another mercenary coach, instead bringing in a coach with strong Maryland ties.
—
Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
Others have used computer vision with some success in aiding material analysis of pigments and texture; more mercenary applications by museums and collectors include its potential to authenticate works of art.
—Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
In the first weeks of 2025, the rebels and their Rwandan allies launched a lightning offensive, routing Congolese, UN, and mercenary troops around the eastern city of Goma, in the heart of Congo's mineral-rich mining region.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
Others have used computer vision with some success in aiding material analysis of pigments and texture; more mercenary applications by museums and collectors include its potential to authenticate works of art.
—Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
In the first weeks of 2025, the rebels and their Rwandan allies launched a lightning offensive, routing Congolese, UN, and mercenary troops around the eastern city of Goma, in the heart of Congo's mineral-rich mining region.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered Cramer said the market action punished investors who’ve stayed negative, as well as short sellers and hedge funds that got greedy in the past few days.—
Russell Leung,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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There are also a number of Native American legends in which buzzards are portrayed as greedy and deceptive compared with other large birds.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In addition, stubbornly high interest rates are prompting institutional investors to offload their holdings in these prime spaces, while luxury companies are eager to take advantage of once-in-a-generation opportunities, and lock in properties for the long term.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
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And Trump has been eager to expand the tech industry’s US footprint and cement America as a leader in artificial intelligence.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.—
Christine Winter,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
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Pearce plays Van Buren as hungry and avaricious even in his kinder moments, a man of immense wealth whose primary desire is to own more and more.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Like other acquisitive companies, the integration of technology was sub-optimal.—
Peter High,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Infinite Reality, which is building a headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was founded in 2019 and has been acquisitive in recent months, buying companies such as the Drone Racing League, Landvault and virtual reality retail brand Obsess.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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