What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Ninja vs Mercenary - What's the difference?

ninja | mercenary |

As an adjective mercenary is

motivated by private gain.

As a noun mercenary is

a person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose prime or sole motivation is private gain.

ninja

English

(wikipedia ninja)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (martial arts, historical) A person trained primarily in stealth, espionage, assassination and the Japanese martial art of ninjutsu.
  • A Mongolian amateurish private miner (mainly for gold); after the shape of the plastic bowls used to wash metal ore with mercury, roughly resembling one of the .
  • * 2007 October 10, Jonathan Watts, "Prospectors and 'ninja' miners flood to east's El Dorado" [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/10/international.mainsection1], The Guardian ,
    • Many were former nomads, but as the gold rush gathered pace, students, vets and taxi drivers from Ulan Bator joined the ninjas , not just in Ogoomor but in other gold towns across the country.
  • (slang) Juggalo version of the epithet "nigga".
    • What up, my ninja !

    Related terms

    * ninjutsu * ninpo

    Coordinate terms

    * kunoichi * shinobi

    Derived terms

    * ninjitsu * ninjette

    Verb

  • To act in the manner of a , especially in the areas of speed and power.
  • (gaming, slang) To claim an item in a game by abusing game mechanics, often despite having no real need for the item or ability to use it.
    • That damn warrior ninja'd an epic-quality wand even though he can't even use it!
  • (Internet, slang) To post a response on a message board immediately before someone else unknowingly posts a response saying the same thing.
    • When I answered the OP's question, I saw that Porthos had ninja'd me by posting the same answer just before I did.

    Anagrams

    * English refractory feminine rhymes ----

    mercenary

    English

    (wikipedia mercenary)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Motivated by private gain.
  • * Dryden
    • For God forbid I should my papers blot / With mercenary lines, with servile pen.

    Synonyms

    * (motivated by private gain) greedy, venal

    Noun

    (mercenaries)
  • A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose prime or sole motivation is private gain.

    • Synonyms

    * See

    See also

    * soldier