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
The most advanced phone-hacking technology sold by mercenary firms requires no target interaction and leaves no indication that the device has been tampered with.
—
Ronald J. Deibert, Foreign Affairs, 24 Apr. 2025
This hectic oddness undergirds the conspiracy theories and wild extrapolations that course through the film and provides the rickety intellectual architecture for Dr. J.’s mercenary speculations.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Top Gun is streaming on Paramount+ and Prime Video, while Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Willow’ (1988)
Val Kilmer stars as the mercenary Madmartigan opposite his then-real-life wife, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, the daughter of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) in Willow.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
And how to be optimally developmental and transactional in an increasingly mercenary environment.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Ronald J. Deibert, Foreign Affairs, 24 Apr. 2025
This hectic oddness undergirds the conspiracy theories and wild extrapolations that course through the film and provides the rickety intellectual architecture for Dr. J.’s mercenary speculations.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Top Gun is streaming on Paramount+ and Prime Video, while Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Willow’ (1988)
Val Kilmer stars as the mercenary Madmartigan opposite his then-real-life wife, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, the daughter of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) in Willow.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
And how to be optimally developmental and transactional in an increasingly mercenary environment.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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Are the companies somehow less greedy in other states?—
Ted Gaines,
Oc Register,
28 May 2025
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What the greedy developers are trying to do burns me to no end.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Lively Feud: Lively Shares ‘Gratitude’ On Instagram After Baldoni’s Lawsuit Is Dismissed Globally, employees are eager to learn.—
Gary Drenik,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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The Dallas phone company had taken a blood-bath in its four-year foray into entertainment and was eager to exit.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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The comedy-drama follows a Gen Z content creator who returns to her ancestral home seeking viral material, only to encounter her deceased brother’s ghost while dealing with avaricious relatives.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Over its history OpenText has been an highly acquisitive company to build out its software stack.—
GuruFocus,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Banijay has been among the most acquisitive independent TV makers of recent years, and now reportedly has its sights on ITV.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mercenary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercenary. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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