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
Leaving these questions unasked opens the door to a mercenary, amoral public life.
—
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
My wife, who is not an international money launderer or mercenary warlord, was turned down for a savings account with a UK bank last year because her driving license had expired.
—David G.w. Birch, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Russian mercenary forces backing military coup leaders in Africa have used Tartus as a critical supply point.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
Having established himself as the ultimate cool, implacable bad guy in the Matrix movies, Hugo Weaving has brought an instant credibility to the role of Frank Harkness, whose mercenary operation at Les Arbres operates like its own cruel fiefdom in the bleakest town in France.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mercenary 
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
My wife, who is not an international money launderer or mercenary warlord, was turned down for a savings account with a UK bank last year because her driving license had expired.
—David G.w. Birch, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Russian mercenary forces backing military coup leaders in Africa have used Tartus as a critical supply point.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
Having established himself as the ultimate cool, implacable bad guy in the Matrix movies, Hugo Weaving has brought an instant credibility to the role of Frank Harkness, whose mercenary operation at Les Arbres operates like its own cruel fiefdom in the bleakest town in France.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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How inflation is impacting America Are greedy companies to blame for grocery inflation?—
Juweek Adolphe,
NPR,
14 Jan. 2025
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Scanty sentences for these greedy big shots do little to deter crooked behavior in the future.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This unexpected discovery has captured the attention of archaeologists, who are eager to explore its origins and significance.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
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The folks in in Philly can attest and are eager to see what Fangio has in the offing for Sunday’s game against the Rams. 7.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Ever since the United States liberated Kuwait from the avaricious clutches of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War of 1990-91, the Kuwaitis have supported U.S. priorities in the Middle East and elsewhere.—
Martin Indyk,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Feb. 2022
Adjective
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The condition for the survival of an acquisitive society is twofold.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Dec. 2011
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The synergies that acquisitive CEOs routinely promise often fail to materialize, but in this instance there was never any realistic prospect for synergies.—
Martin Fridson,
Forbes,
25 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near mercenary
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.
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