Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Hireling
Hire′ling
,Adj.
Serving for hire or wages; venal; mercenary.
“Hireling mourners.” Dryden.
Webster 1828 Edition
Hireling
HI'RELING
,Noun.
1.
A mercenary; a prostitute.HI'RELING
,Adj.
A tedious crew
Of hireling mourners.
Definition 2024
hireling
hireling
English
Noun
hireling (plural hirelings)
- (usually pejorative) an employee who is hired, often to perform unpleasant tasks with little independence
- 1848: William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair
- When my poor James was in the smallpox, did I allow any hireling to nurse him?
- 1848: William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair
- (usually pejorative) someone who does a job purely for money, rather than out of interest in the work itself
- 1605: Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning
- ... it may be truly affirmed that no kind of men love business for itself but those that are learned; for other persons love it for profit, as a hireling that loves the work for the wages;
- 1605: Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning
Synonyms
Translations
someone who does a job purely for money
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