Definition

Noun: A mercenary; a professional soldier who fights in armed conflicts for personal financial gain, rather than out of loyalty to a particular nation or cause. This term often implies a person who seeks adventure and profit through warfare, frequently offering their services to foreign armies or military groups.

Usage

The term "soldier of fortune" is used to describe an individual whose primary motivation for participating in war is monetary payment. It carries connotations of adventure, lack of permanent national allegiance, and a life defined by conflict.

Examples

• After leaving the army, he became a soldier of fortune, hiring out his skills to the highest bidder in various regional wars.
• The novel's protagonist is a cynical soldier of fortune who finds himself caught in a conflict he doesn't understand.
• Many private military contractors are viewed by the public as modern-day soldiers of fortune.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term evokes imagery of European mercenaries in the Renaissance or adventurers in post-colonial African conflicts.
• Figurative Use: It can sometimes be used metaphorically to describe someone who aggressively pursues profit in any high-risk field, such as finance or business.
  • In the world of corporate takeovers, he was known as a soldier of fortune.

Variants and Related Words

• Mercenary (n.): The most direct synonym, emphasizing the financial motivation.
• Condottiere (n.): Specifically refers to a leader of a mercenary company in Renaissance Italy.
• Freebooter (n.): An archaic term for a mercenary or adventurer, sometimes implying piracy.
• Gunslinger (n.): While historically a gunfighter in the American West, it can be used figuratively in a similar way to "soldier of fortune."

Synonyms

• Mercenary
• Hired gun
• Legionnaire (in historical contexts, like the French Foreign Legion, though modern Legionnaires swear allegiance to France)
• Adventurer (in a military context)

Related Phrases

• To soldier for fortune: A less common verbal phrase meaning to work as a mercenary.
  • He spent a decade soldiering for fortune across the globe.

Related Idioms

• A man of fortune and sword: An archaic, literary idiom with a very similar meaning to "soldier of fortune."
• To follow the drum: An idiom meaning to pursue a military life, often with a sense of adventure, which can overlap with the concept of a soldier of fortune.

Noun

1. a person hired to fight for another country than their own