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Servant vs Hireling - What's the difference?

servant | hireling | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between servant and hireling

is that servant is one who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. As opposed to a slave while hireling is an employee who is hired, often to perform unpleasant tasks with little independence.

As a verb servant

is to subject.

servant

English

Alternative forms

* servaunt (obsolete) * (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • One who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. As opposed to a slave.
  • :
  • *
  • *:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.
  • One who serves another, providing help in some manner.
  • :
  • Derived terms

    * assigned servant * civil servant * manservant * maidservant * public servant * servantly

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To subject.
  • (Shakespeare)
    (Webster 1913)

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * ----

    hireling

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (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?
  • (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;

    Synonyms

    * flunky * lackey * mercenary