Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a mercenary manner.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a mercenary manner.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a mercenary way, for selfish reason of profit or gain.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • On the other hand, those educators who argue "back to basics" and "accountability" must also deal with the fact that this society has becoming mercenarily toxic.

    Joel Shatzky: Educating for Democracy: Why Johnny (or Janie) Won't Read 2010

  • The views of her guardian were, however, opposed to the young man's suit, Mr Andrew Tucker mercenarily designing to secure the heiress for his own son.

    Henry Fielding: a Memoir G. M. Godden

  • The views of her guardian were, however, opposed to the young man's suit, Mr Andrew Tucker mercenarily designing to secure the heiress for his own son.

    Henry Fielding A Memoir Godden, G M 1909

  • But there was no reason why a Greek or Roman should not have indulged in servile flattery and hypocritical praise for the selfish purpose of securing the carnal favors of a mercenarily coy courtesan.

    Primitive Love and Love-Stories Henry Theophilus Finck 1890

  • Senor Valdes is a realist, but a realist according to his own conception of realism; and he has some words of just censure for the French naturalists, whom he finds unnecessarily, and suspects of being sometimes even mercenarily, nasty.

    Literature and Life (Complete) William Dean Howells 1878

  • Senor Valdes is a realist, but a realist according to his own conception of realism; and he has some words of just censure for the French naturalists, whom he finds unnecessarily, and suspects of being sometimes even mercenarily, nasty.

    Criticism and Fiction William Dean Howells 1878

  • The thought of carrying on a flirtation under the fastidious Boston eye of Mrs. Brimmer, instead of under the discreet and mercenarily averted orbs of Dona Ursula, did not commend itself pleasantly to Brace.

    The Crusade of the Excelsior Bret Harte 1869

  • Yet he was not harsh and sweeping in his movement; he was sparing of those feelings which are deep because they belong to our childhood, of convictions that are honest because they are all we possess, and of forms of public life to which along antiquity imparts an air of reverence; and he would not see the Temple of the Jews mercenarily profaned.

    Margaret 1851

  • At times, they would look down at my keyboard and scowl incredulously while my hands merrily danced about and announced that I didn't care about being mercenarily screwed.

    Laid-Off Dad 2010

  • The so called Stress Management experts, godmen and godwoman are mercenarily selling and "pumping in" and "forcing down" the so called "stress relaxation and stress management" full of false promises; through our throats!

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows drshriniwas 2010

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