mercenary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those glimpses of humanity had a way of rendering the mercenary atmosphere in the tent city incredibly disorienting—almost unreal.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Ebienfa cautioned Nigerians against accepting such offers, emphasising that they not only endanger lives but may also violate Nigerian and international laws concerning mercenary activities and foreign enlistment.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

And yet his approach to his craft is unusually earnest, devoid of the mystique that surrounds Kendrick Lamar or the mercenary commercial instincts of Drake, to name two of his peers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

At the time Alekseyev was filmed sitting with Prigozhin in a Russian military compound taken over by Wagner, trying to convince the mercenary chief to call off his troops.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

“Paid subordinates! What! you are my paid subordinate, are you? Oh yes, I had forgotten the salary! Well then, on that mercenary ground, will you agree to let me hector a little?”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë