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I'm like this mercenary actor going from show to show - people love to hire me, but then don't want me around much.
Sebastian Roche

Meaning of "mercenary" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD MERCENARY

From Latin mercēnārius, from mercēs wages.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF MERCENARY

mercenary  [ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF MERCENARY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Mercenary can act as a noun and an adjective.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES MERCENARY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

mercenary

Mercenary

A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict, who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities by the desire for private gain."...

Definition of mercenary in the English dictionary

The first definition of mercenary in the dictionary is influenced by greed or desire for gain. Other definition of mercenary is of or relating to a mercenary or mercenaries. Mercenary is also a man hired to fight for a foreign army, etc.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH MERCENARY


binary
ˈbaɪnərɪ
chicanery
ʃɪˈkeɪnərɪ
coparcenery
kəʊˈpɑːsɪnərɪ
culinary
ˈkʌlɪnərɪ
disciplinary
ˈdɪsɪˌplɪnərɪ
eleemosynary
ˌɛlɪiːˈmɒsɪnərɪ
imaginary
ɪˈmædʒɪnərɪ
interdisciplinary
ˌɪntəˈdɪsɪˌplɪnərɪ
joinery
ˈdʒɔɪnərɪ
luminary
ˈluːmɪnərɪ
multidisciplinary
ˌmʌltɪˈdɪsɪˌplɪnərɪ
parcenary
ˈpɑːsɪnərɪ
preliminary
prɪˈlɪmɪnərɪ
refinery
rɪˈfaɪnərɪ
seminary
ˈsɛmɪnərɪ
unmercenary
ʌnˈmɜːsɪnərɪ
urinary
ˈjʊərɪnərɪ
veterinary
ˈvɛtərɪnərɪ
vicenary
ˈvɪsɪnərɪ
winery
ˈwaɪnərɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE MERCENARY

mercaptide
mercaptopurine
mercat
Mercator
Mercator projection
Mercator´s projection
mercenaries
mercenarily
mercenariness
mercenarism
mercer
mercerisation
mercerise
merceriser
mercerization
mercerize
mercerizer
mercery
merch
merchandise

WORDS THAT END LIKE MERCENARY

bicentenary
bimillenary
catenary
centenary
coparcenary
denary
dictionary
millenary
octingentenary
plenary
prolegomenary
quatercentenary
quincentenary
quingentenary
scenary
senary
septenary
septuagenary
sesquicentenary
sexagenary
tercentenary

Synonyms and antonyms of mercenary in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «MERCENARY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «mercenary» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of mercenary

Translation of «mercenary» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF MERCENARY

Find out the translation of mercenary to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of mercenary from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «mercenary» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

雇佣兵
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mercenario
570 millions of speakers

English

mercenary
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

भाड़े
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

المرتزقة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

наемник
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

mercenário
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

বেতনভোগী
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

mercenaire
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Upahan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Söldner
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

傭兵
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

용병
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Mercenary
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

ham lợi
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கூலிப்படையின்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

भाडोत्री
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

paralı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

mercenario
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

najemnik
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

найманець
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

mercenar
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

μισθοφόρος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

huursoldaat
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

legosoldat
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

leiesoldat
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of mercenary

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «MERCENARY»

The term «mercenary» is quite widely used and occupies the 29.005 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
87
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «mercenary» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of mercenary
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «mercenary».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «MERCENARY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «mercenary» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «mercenary» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about mercenary

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «MERCENARY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word mercenary.
1
Robbie Fowler
It sounds mercenary and it smacks of rats leaving the sinking ship. But get real, when everyone is bailing out, you don't want to be the last man standing.
2
James Frey
When I was a screenwriter, I was doing it for mercenary reasons.
3
David Gill
Players aren't quite as mercenary as people make them out to be. Some of them are but some aren't.
4
Alma Gluck
Inspired by the purse rather than the soul, the mercenary side fairly screams in many of the works put out by every day American publishers.
5
Larry Holmes
I never tried to be a mercenary or a killer but a hard working fighter.
6
Rick Majerus
Pro basketball is a very mercenary endeavor.
7
Maureen O'Hara
I spent a great deal of time with Che Guevara while I was in Havana. I believe he was far less a mercenary than he was a freedom fighter.
8
Joseph Pulitzer
A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will in time produce a people as base as itself.
9
Sebastian Roche
I'm like this mercenary actor going from show to show - people love to hire me, but then don't want me around much.
10
Mike Rowe
Most of the things I do brand wise are both missionary and mercenary in their position, and that's really important to me; that's one of the first things I look at when I say, 'does it make sense to do a deal?'

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «MERCENARY»

Discover the use of mercenary in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to mercenary and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Meet Blackwater USA, the private army that the US government has quietly hired to operate in international war zones and on American soil.
Jeremy Scahill, 2011
2
The Mercenary: A Novel
From the New York Times bestselling author of Viper Pilot and USAF F-16 legend Dan Hampton, The Mercenary follows the rogue American gun-for-hire known only as the Sandman.
Dan Hampton, 2013
3
Mercenaries and Paid Men: The Mercenary Identity in the ...
Who were mercenaries, and how were they distinguished from other soldiers? The contributors to this volume attempt to cast light on these questions.
John France, 2008
4
Confessions of a Rugby Mercenary
John Daniell is a rubgy mercenary. A brutal word for an often brutal game. In 1996, when Rugby Union turned professional, John emigrated to France where he played for a decade in top competitions.
John Daniell, 2009
5
My Friend the Mercenary
In this gripping narrative, James Brabazon paints a brilliant portrait of the chaos that tore West Africa apart: nations run by warlords and kleptocrats, rebels fighting to displace them, ordinary people caught in the crossfire — and ...
James Brabazon, 2011
6
War Dog: Fighting Other People's Wars-the Modern Mercenary ...
Mercenaries have been with us since the dawn of civilisation, yet in the modern world they are little understood. In War Dog, Al Venter examines the latter world of mercenary fighters effecting decisions by themselves.
Al J. Venter, 2006
7
Mercenary
Following their adventures as pirates, Captain Wilson Cole and the crew of the starship Theodore Roosevelt become mercenaries, selling their services to the highest bidder, but conflict ensues when they are pitted against a trusted comrade.
Mike Resnick, 2007
8
Mercenary Angels: Book One
Colonel Mathew Stone and his seven man Special Forces team were the best in the world.
John M. Evans, 2009
9
John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in Fourteenth-Century Italy
John Hawkwood was fourteenth-century Italy's most notorious and successful soldier.
William Caferro, 2007
10
The Last Mercenary
THE LAST MERCENARY WAS ABOUT TO RETIRE HIS GUN… But that was before the virginal beauty from Micah Steele's past was kidnapped by his sworn enemy.
Diana Palmer, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «MERCENARY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term mercenary is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Cyber-mercenary industry grows worldwide - IHS Jane's 360
Labelled a "digital era mercenary" by Reporters Without Borders in 2013, Hacking Team sells technology designed to acquire and extract data. «IHS Jane's 360, Jul 15»
2
Humble Bundle goes 'Jumbo' for charity with Space Engineers …
Pay what you want for Outland Special Edition, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, and Mercenary Kings. Paying more than the average ... «Shacknews, Jul 15»
3
Clippers are trying to follow the other LA team of 2010 | FOX Sports
... Larry Brown, did with the 2004 Detroit Piston team which smoked Jackson's mercenary Lakers in the NBA Finals — Jackson remains the best ... «FOXSports.com, Jul 15»
4
Paul Pierce on playing for Lakers: 'There's no way I could go there …
He is just kissing the you know what of Celtic Nation to ingratiate himself to lessen the blow of being known as a mercenary now instead of ... «CBSSports.com, Jul 15»
5
Durkin's 2015 Bears Position Preview: Tight End « CBS Chicago
I'll never begrudge a professional athlete for trying to get more money, especially in the mercenary resource model that NFL owners and the ... «CBS Local, Jul 15»
6
Benicio del Toro lined up to join the dark side in Star Wars: Episode …
Del Toro will next be seen playing a mercenary in crime-thriller Sicario, also starring Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, out in October. Head to our ... «Stuff.co.nz, Jul 15»
7
This Week in Home Video: 'What We Do In The Shadows,' 'Ta …
... one a Chechen mercenary, and the other a Georgian volunteer. Though the two vow to kill each other once they recover, they eventually see ... «Indie Wire, Jul 15»
8
Uri Avnery on The Iran Treaty « Antiwar.com Blog
The fight is now going to Washington DC, where Netanyahu will be fully committed as a mercenary of Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the ... «Antiwar.com, Jul 15»
9
DEADPOOL Shoots Off In New Adult Coloring Book From Marvel …
Deadpool is many things. Mercenary. X-Man. Soon-to-be-Uncanny Avenger (we're not kidding). But next January, he's breaking new ground. «Newsarama, Jul 15»
10
'True Detective' Episode 5: That's it, I've had it with this damn show
Season 2 seemed tolerably focused for Justin Lin's (Fast & Furious 6) first two episodes, then has devolved with installments by mercenary ... «Mashable, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Mercenary [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/mercenary>. Apr 2024 ».
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