adj
Meaning 1
Motivated by personal gain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: greedy, venal
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
mercenary
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/
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Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɜː.sən.ɹi/
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UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada, General-American: mûrʹsə-nĕr'ē
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Canada, General-American: /ˈmɝ.sə.ˌnɛɹ.i/
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New-Jersey: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: M ER1 S AH0 N EH2 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
profit oriented- John Buchan
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a commercial book
- preached a mercantile and militant patriotism
- a mercenary enterprise
- a moneymaking business
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mercantile, moneymaking(a)
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
marked by materialism
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: materialistic, worldly-minded
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
a person hired to fight for another country than their own
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: soldier of fortune
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: adventurer, venturer
Narrower terms: ninja
History
Etymology
From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”).
Across languages
Translations
139 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: مُؤْجِر (muʔjir) — motivated by personal gain
- Bulgarian: користен (koristen) — motivated by personal gain
- Chinese Mandarin: 唯利是圖 /唯利是图 (wéilìshìtú) — motivated by personal gain
- Dutch: hebzuchtig — motivated by personal gain
- Dutch: geldbelust — motivated by personal gain
- Finnish: rahanahne — motivated by personal gain
- French: mercenaire — motivated by personal gain
- German: geldgierig — motivated by personal gain
- German: gewinnsüchtig — motivated by personal gain
- German: käuflich — motivated by personal gain
- Greek: μισθοφορικός (misthoforikós) — motivated by personal gain
- Greek: ιδιοτελής (idiotelís) — motivated by personal gain
- Ancient Greek: μισθοφόρος (misthophóros) — motivated by personal gain
- Italian: mercenario — motivated by personal gain
- Japanese: 実利的 (jitsuriteki) — motivated by personal gain
- Latin: mercenarius — motivated by personal gain
- Macedonian: користољу́бив (koristoljúbiv) — motivated by personal gain
- Polish: interesowny — motivated by personal gain
- Polish: wyrachowany — motivated by personal gain
- Portuguese: mercenário — motivated by personal gain
- Russian: коры́стный (korýstnyj) — motivated by personal gain
- Russian: корыстолюби́вый (korystoljubívyj) — motivated by personal gain
- Spanish: mercenario — motivated by personal gain
- Albanian: marrdhanës — person employed to fight
- Arabic: مُرْتَزِق (murtaziq) — person employed to fight
- Arabic: مُؤْجِر (muʔjir) — person employed to fight
- Armenian: վարձկան (varjkan) — person employed to fight
- Azerbaijani: muzdlu döyüşçü — person employed to fight
- Belarusian: наёмнік (najómnik) — person employed to fight
- Belarusian: наёмніца (najómnica) — person employed to fight
- Belarusian: наймі́т (najmít) — person employed to fight
- Belarusian: наймі́тка (najmítka) — person employed to fight
- Bengali: ভাড়াটে সৈনিক (bhaṛaṭe śōinik) — person employed to fight
- Bulgarian: нае́мник (naémnik) — person employed to fight
- Bulgarian: нае́мница (naémnica) — person employed to fight
- Bulgarian: нае́мничка (naémnička) — person employed to fight
- Burmese: ကြေးစား (kre:ca:) — person employed to fight
- Catalan: mercenari — person employed to fight
- Chinese Mandarin: 僱傭兵 /雇佣兵 (gùyōngbīng) — person employed to fight
- Chinese Mandarin: 傭兵 /佣兵 (yōngbīng) — person employed to fight
- Czech: žoldák — person employed to fight
- Czech: žoldnéř — person employed to fight
- Danish: lejesoldat — person employed to fight
- Dutch: huurling — person employed to fight
- Dutch: soldenier — person employed to fight
- Dutch: huursoldaat — person employed to fight
- Esperanto: dungosoldato — person employed to fight
- Estonian: palgasõdur — person employed to fight
- Faroese: leiguhermaður — person employed to fight
- Finnish: palkkasotilas — person employed to fight
- Finnish: palkkasoturi — person employed to fight
- French: mercenaire — person employed to fight
- Galician: mercenario — person employed to fight
- Georgian: დაქირავებული ჯარისკაცი (dakiravebuli ǯarisḳaci) — person employed to fight
- German: Söldner — person employed to fight
- German: Söldnerin — person employed to fight
- German: Mietsoldat — person employed to fight
- German: Legionär — person employed to fight
- Greek: μισθοφόρος (misthofóros) — person employed to fight
- Ancient Greek: μισθοφόρος (misthophóros) — person employed to fight
- Ancient Greek: ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros) — person employed to fight
- Hebrew: שְׂכִיר חֶרֶב (sakhír khérev) — person employed to fight
- Hindi: भाड़े का सिपाही (bhāṛe kā sipāhī) — person employed to fight
- Hindi: किराये का सैनिक (kirāye kā sainik) — person employed to fight
- Hindi: भृत सैनिक (bhŕt sainik) — person employed to fight
- Hungarian: zsoldos — person employed to fight
- Hungarian: zsoldoskatona — person employed to fight
- Icelandic: málaliði — person employed to fight
- Indonesian: tentara bayaran — person employed to fight
- Irish: amhas — person employed to fight
- Italian: mercenario — person employed to fight
- Japanese: 傭兵 (yōhei) — person employed to fight
- Kazakh: жалдамашы (jaldamaşy) — person employed to fight
- Kazakh: жалданба (jaldanba) — person employed to fight
- Kazakh: жалданушы (jaldanuşy) — person employed to fight
- Kazakh: жалшы (jalşy) — person employed to fight
- Khmer: ទាហានស៊ីឈ្នួល (tiəhiən sii chnuəl) — person employed to fight
- Korean: 용병 (yongbyeong) — person employed to fight
- Kyrgyz: жалданма (jaldanma) — person employed to fight
- Lao: ທະຫານຮັບຈ້າງ (tha hān hap chāng) — person employed to fight
- Latin: mercēnārius — person employed to fight
- Latvian: algotnis — person employed to fight
- Lithuanian: samdinys — person employed to fight
- Macedonian: платеник (platenik) — person employed to fight
- Macedonian: платеничка (platenička) — person employed to fight
- Malay: askar upahan — person employed to fight
- Malay: tentera upahan — person employed to fight
- Mongolian: хөлсний цэрэг (xölsnii cereg) — person employed to fight
- Norman: mèrcénaithe — person employed to fight
- Norwegian Bokmål: leiesoldat — person employed to fight
- Norwegian Nynorsk: leigesoldat — person employed to fight
- Occitan: mercenari — person employed to fight
- Pashto: اجير (ajir) — person employed to fight
- Pashto: مزدور (mazdúr) — person employed to fight
- Pashto: کرايي عسکر (krāyí 'askar) — person employed to fight
- Pashto: اجيره عسکر (ajira 'askar) — person employed to fight
- Dari: مُزْدُور (muzdūr) — person employed to fight
- Dari: اَجِیر (ajīr) — person employed to fight
- Iranian Persian: مُزْدور (mozdur) — person employed to fight
- Iranian Persian: اَجیر (ajir) — person employed to fight
- Polish: najemnik — person employed to fight
- Polish: najemnica — person employed to fight
- Portuguese: mercenário — person employed to fight
- Romanian: mercenar — person employed to fight
- Russian: наёмник (najómnik) — person employed to fight
- Russian: наёмница (najómnica) — person employed to fight
- Russian: найми́т (najmít) — person employed to fight
- Russian: найми́тка (najmítka) — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: пла̑ћенӣк — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: пла̑ћеница — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: на́јамнӣк — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: на́јамница — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: plȃćenīk — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: plȃćenica — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: nájamnīk — person employed to fight
- Serbo-Croatian: nájamnica — person employed to fight
- Slovak: žoldnier — person employed to fight
- Slovak: žoldnierka — person employed to fight
- Slovene: plačanec — person employed to fight
- Slovene: najemnik — person employed to fight
- Spanish: mercenario — person employed to fight
- Swahili: mamluki — person employed to fight
- Swedish: legosoldat — person employed to fight
- Tajik: муздур (muzdur) — person employed to fight
- Tajik: мардикор (mardikor) — person employed to fight
- Thai: ทหารรับจ้าง (tá-hǎan-ráp-jâang) — person employed to fight
- Thai: ผู้รับจ้างรบ (pûu-ráp-jâang-róp) — person employed to fight
- Turkish: paralı asker — person employed to fight
- Ukrainian: на́йманець (nájmanecʹ) — person employed to fight
- Ukrainian: на́йманка (nájmanka) — person employed to fight
- Ukrainian: найми́т (najmýt) — person employed to fight
- Ukrainian: найми́тка (najmýtka) — person employed to fight
- Urdu: کِراۓ کا سِپاہی (kirā-ye kā sipāhī) — person employed to fight
- Urdu: اَجِیر سِپاہی (ajīr sipāhī) — person employed to fight
- Urdu: اَجِیر (ajīr) — person employed to fight
- Urdu: مُزْدُور (muzdūr) — person employed to fight
- Uzbek: yollanma askar — person employed to fight
- Vietnamese: lính đánh thuê — person employed to fight
- Vietnamese: tay sai — person employed to fight
Real reading context