soldier of fortune

Definitions

A person who works as a soldier for any country or group that will pay them; a mercenary.

Someone who takes part in risky or adventurous enterprises for personal gain.

Examples

The soldier of fortune was hired to protect the remote mining camp from local insurgents.

He lived his life as a soldier of fortune, traveling from one conflict zone to the next in search of high-paying contracts.

Many novels depict the soldier of fortune as a cynical mercenary with a hidden moral code.

Synonyms

mercenary freelancer hired gun contractor adventurer soldier of misadventure condottiere

Antonyms

patriot conscript regular volunteer loyalist professional soldier draftee