A person hired to fight for another country than their own.

synonym: soldier of fortune.

Roget 726: combatant; disputant, controversialist, polemic, litigant, belligerent; competitor, rival, corrival^†; fighter, assailant; champion, Paladin; mosstrooper^†, swashbuckler fire eater, duelist, bully, bludgeon man, rough.    prize fighter, pugilist, boxer, bruiser, the fancy, gladiator, athlete, wrestler; fighting-cock, game-cock; warrior, soldier, fighting man, Amazon, man at arms, armigerent^†; campaigner, veteran; swordsman, sabreur^†, redcoat, military man, Rajput.    armed force, troops, soldiery, military forces, sabaoth^†, the army, standing army, regulars, the line, troops of the line, militia, yeomanry, volunteers, trainband, fencible^†; auxiliary, bersagliere^†, brave; garde-nationale, garde-royale [Fr.]; minuteman [U.S.]; auxiliary forces, reserve forces; reserves, posse comitatus [Lat.], national guard, gendarme, beefeater; guards, guardsman; yeomen of the guard, life guards, household troops.    janissary; myrmidon; Mama, Mameluke; spahee^†, spahi^†, Cossack, Croat, Pandoz.    irregular, guerilla, partisan, condottiere^†; franctireur [Fr.], tirailleur^†, bashi-bazouk; [guerilla organization names: list], vietminh, vietcong; shining path; contras; huk, hukbalahap.    mercenary, soldier of fortune; hired gun, gunfighter, gunslinger; bushwhacker, free lance, companion; Hessian.    hit man torpedo, soldier.    levy, draught; Landwehr [G.], Landsturm [G.]; conscript, recruit, cadet, raw levies.    infantry, infantryman, private, private soldier, foot soldier; Tommy Atkins^†, rank and file, peon, trooper, sepoy^†, legionnaire, legionary, cannon fodder, food for powder; officer etc. (commander) 745; subaltern, ensign, standard bearer; spearman, pikeman^†; spear bearer; halberdier^†, lancer; musketeer, carabineer^†, rifleman, jager [G.], sharpshooter, yager^†, skirmisher; grenadier, fusileer^†; archer, bowman.    horse and foot; horse soldier; cavalry, horse, artillery, horse artillery, light horse, voltigeur [Fr.], uhlan, mounted rifles, dragoon, hussar; light dragoon, heavy dragoon; heavy; cuirassier [Fr.]; Foot Guards, Horse Guards.    gunner, cannoneer, bombardier, artilleryman^†, matross^†; sapper, sapper and miner; engineer; light infantry, rifles, chasseur [Fr.], zouave; military train, coolie.    army, corps d'armee [Fr.], host, division, battalia^†, column, wing, detachment, garrison, flying column, brigade, regiment, corps, battalion, sotnia^†, squadron, company, platoon, battery, subdivision, section, squad; piquet, picket, guard, rank, file; legion, phalanx, cohort; cloud of skirmishers.    war horse, charger, destrier.    marine, man-of-war's man etc. (sailor) 269; navy, wooden walls, naval forces, fleet, flotilla, armada, squadron.    [ships of war] man-of-war; destroyer; submarine; minesweeper; torpedo-boat, torpedo-destroyer; patrol torpedo boat, PT boat; torpedo-catcher, war castle, H.   M.S.; battleship, battle wagon, dreadnought, line of battle ship, ship of the line; aircraft carrier, carrier.    flattop [Coll.]; helicopter carrier; missile platform, missile boat; ironclad, turret ship, ram, monitor, floating battery; first-rate, frigate, sloop of war, corvette, gunboat, bomb vessel; flagship, guard ship, cruiser; armored cruiser, protected cruiser; privateer.    [supporting ships] tender; store ship, troop ship; transport, catamaran; merchant marine.    ... show more

Roget 746: subject, liegeman^†; servant, retainer, follower, henchman, servitor, domestic, menial, help, lady help, employe, attache; official.    retinue, suite, cortege, staff, court.    attendant, squire, usher, page, donzel^†, footboy^†; train bearer, cup bearer; waiter, lapster^†, butler, livery servant, lackey, footman, flunky, flunkey, valet, valet de chambre [Fr.]; equerry, groom; jockey, hostler, ostler^†, tiger, orderly, messenger, cad, gillie^†, herdsman, swineherd; barkeeper, bartender; bell boy, boots, boy, counterjumper^†; khansamah^†, khansaman^†; khitmutgar^†; yardman.    bailiff, castellan^†, seneschal, chamberlain, major-domo^†, groom of the chambers.    secretary; under secretary, assistant secretary; clerk; subsidiary; agent etc. 758; subaltern; underling, understrapper; man.    maid, maidservant; handmaid; confidente [Fr.], lady's maid, abigail, soubrette; amah^†, biddy, nurse, bonne [Fr.], ayah^†; nursemaid, nursery maid, house maid, parlor maid, waiting maid, chamber maid, kitchen maid, scullery maid; femme de chambre [Fr.], femme fille [Fr.]; camarista^†; chef de cuisine, cordon bleu [Fr.], cook, scullion, Cinderella; potwalloper^†; maid of all work, servant of all work; laundress, bedmaker^†; journeyman, charwoman etc. (worker) 690; bearer, chokra^†, gyp (Cambridge), hamal^†, scout (Oxford). serf, vassal, slave, negro, helot; bondsman, bondswoman^†; bondslave^†; ame damnee [Fr.], odalisque, ryot^†, adscriptus gleboe [Lat.]; villian^†, villein; beadsman^†, bedesman^†; sizar^†; pensioner, pensionary^†; client; dependant, dependent; hanger on, satellite; parasite etc. (servility) 886; led captain; protege [Fr.], ward, hireling, mercenary, puppet, tool, creature.    badge of slavery; bonds etc. 752.    ... show more

Dutch: huursoldaat, huurling
Polish: najemnik

Marked by materialism.

synonyms: materialistic, worldly-minded.

Roget 943: selfish; self-seeking, self-indulgent, self-interested, self-centered; wrapped up in self, wrapt up in self^†, centered in self; egotistic, egotistical; egoistical^†.    illiberal, mean, ungenerous, narrow-minded; mercenary, venal; covetous etc. 819.    unspiritual, earthly, earthly-minded; mundane; worldly, worldly-minded; worldly-wise; timeserving^†.    interested; alieni appetens sui profusus [Lat.].    ... show more

Roget 819: parsimonious, penurious, stingy, miserly, mean, shabby, peddling, scrubby, penny wise, near, niggardly, close; fast handed, close handed, strait handed; close fisted, hard fisted, tight fisted; tight, sparing; chary; grudging, griping etc. v.; illiberal, ungenerous, churlish, hidebound, sordid, mercenary, venal, covetous, usurious, avaricious, greedy, extortionate, rapacious.    ... show more

Roget 812: priced etc. v.; to the tune of, ad valorem; dutiable; mercenary, venal.   

Polish: materialistyczny

Serving for wages in a foreign army:
— Mercenary killers.

synonyms: free-lance, freelance.

Polish: najemniczy

Profit oriented:
— A mercenary enterprise.

synonyms: mercantile, moneymaking.