hireling
/'haiəliɳ/
Definition
Noun: A person who performs work or services primarily for monetary payment, often with the implication that they lack personal commitment, loyalty, or principles regarding the work itself. The term can carry a negative connotation, suggesting the person is mercenary or will do anything for pay.
Usage
The word "hireling" is used to describe someone whose primary or sole motivation for working is financial gain. It often implies a lack of genuine interest, passion, or ethical investment in the task or cause. It is a somewhat formal and dated term, frequently used in literary or critical contexts.
Examples
- The nobleman was guarded not by loyal knights, but by hirelings who would abandon him if not paid.
- He dismissed the critics as hirelings of the film studio, accusing them of writing positive reviews for money.
- The revolution was betrayed by hirelings within their own ranks.
Advanced Usage
- Used attributively: The term can be used before another noun to describe a characteristic.
- They employed a hireling army to fight their battles.
- Contextual Connotation: The negativity of the term depends heavily on context. In a purely economic discussion, it might neutrally describe a wage worker, but it more commonly carries a pejorative sense of being morally flexible for money.
Variants and Related Words
- Hire (verb): To employ someone for wages. This is the root verb from which "hireling" is derived.
- Hired (adjective): Describes something obtained by payment (e.g., a ) or a person employed for wages (e.g., ).
Synonyms
- Mercenary: A person primarily motivated by money, especially a soldier hired to serve in a foreign army. (Very close synonym, often interchangeable).
- Employee: A person employed for wages. (Neutral, without the negative connotation).
- Wage earner: A person who works for wages. (Neutral).
- Flunky / Lackey: A person who performs menial tasks for another, often with a sense of servility. (Similar derogatory sense, but emphasizes subservience rather than just monetary motivation).
Antonyms
- Volunteer: A person who works without payment.
- Devotee: A person who is very enthusiastic about a cause or activity.
- Partisan: A strong, sometimes biased, supporter of a party, cause, or person.
Idioms and Phrases
- No idiom directly uses "hireling", but the concept is related to phrases like:
- A hired gun: Originally a mercenary, now often used metaphorically for a lawyer, consultant, or expert brought in temporarily to solve a specific problem, sometimes with amoral implications.
- To be in someone's pay: To be employed by someone, often secretly, suggesting a lack of independence.
Noun
-
a person who works only for money
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