fortune hunter
3
5.9
- noun
- /ˈfɔːrtʃən ˈhʌntər/
- Offensive
:
cazafortunas
- Many young women are wary of fortune hunters who may only be interested in their wealth.
Examples
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There was only a modest portion settled on her by her maternal grandfather, certainly nothing to attract a fortune hunter.
Fiction book (1990) -
She thinks you're a fortune hunter.
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- Too bad he picked a fortune hunter.
-
Smith was just a fortune hunter, but you can understand.
-
You see me as a fortune hunter, and I cannot deny it.
Fiction book (1993) -
- The man's a fortune hunter.
-
This girl would only fall prey to some fortune hunter, and of course, that's exactly what happened.
-
He was just one of many fortune-hunters.
Fiction book (1990) -
How often had she sat up late into the night? Just like this? Trying to decide if he were a fortune-hunter merely waiting for the opportunity to dishonor her?
Blog text (28) -
I didn't carve this place out of the bush... to see Jessica run off with the first fortune hunter to come along!
How Materialistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound meaning is directly derivable from 'fortune' (wealth) + 'hunter' (one who pursues) so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer 'someone who seeks wealth'. The nuance that this often implies pursuing wealth via marriage is a pragmatic extension but does not obscure the transparent compositional meaning, and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically.
Etymology
Fortune hunter uses fortune and hunter to paint a clear picture: imagine someone chasing money or a rich partner like a hunter after prey. That's why it means 'a person who seeks wealth', often by marrying someone rich.