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Glite Dictionary
mercenary role

mercenary role

8.0
A role taken mainly for money rather than loyalty
  • noun
  • /ˈmɜrsəˌnɛri roʊl/
translation icon : rol mercenario
  • He accepted a mercenary role at the company, caring only about the paycheck.

Examples

  • Her decision to play a mercenary role in the negotiations angered her former allies.

  • Taking a mercenary role in politics can undermine one's credibility.

  • He took a mercenary role in the organization.

  • Many actors pursue a mercenary role for financial security.

  • He accepted a mercenary role at the company, motivated solely by the high salary.

  • Her choice to take a mercenary role during the project led to distrust among her team.

  • Many professionals take on a mercenary role in the industry, prioritizing profit over loyalty.

Surface Forms

mercenary role singular
mercenary roles plural

Morphology

mercenary + role

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'mercenary' (motivated by personal profit) modifying 'role' (a position or function), so the phrase straightforwardly denotes a position taken for money or gain. This follows a regular adjective + noun pattern found across languages, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The noun mercenary role comes from old soldiers called mercenaries who fought only for pay. This picture of someone taking a role 'for money' rather than 'for loyalty' explains why the phrase means a position done mainly for personal gain.