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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mercenary
Some carried the black flag of the mercenary Wagner Group, notorious for its brutality in Ukraine and Africa.
—
Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2024
Here, Isaac plays a man with dissociative identity disorder, giving us not one but three distinct characters: mercenary Mark Spector, British gift shop employee Steven Grant, and the mysterious—and seemingly ominous—Jake Lockley.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 19 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for mercenary 
Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2024
Here, Isaac plays a man with dissociative identity disorder, giving us not one but three distinct characters: mercenary Mark Spector, British gift shop employee Steven Grant, and the mysterious—and seemingly ominous—Jake Lockley.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 19 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for mercenary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercenary
Adjective
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In his testimony earlier this month, former House Speaker Michael Madigan cast himself as a champion of the working class, a consensus-builder who used his power to bring people together on legislation and protect constituents from greedy utilities and corporations.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
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His heroes are often murderous vigilantes doling out death sentences to greedy politicians, officials and businessmen.—
Anupama Chopra,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The veteran morning host is ramping up his longform interviews with cultural figures like musicians, actors and directors, betting that there’s an eager audience.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
29 Jan. 2025
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At least, that's the advice Pasqual Gutierrez, a successful director who's worked with everyone from the Weeknd to Madonna, imparts to an eager newbie in his directorial debut, Serious People.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
29 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
-
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 8 Feb. 2025.
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