English
Etymology
hire + diminutive -ling
Pronunciation
(Canada) IPA|/�haɪr�lɪ�/
Noun
en-noun
- context|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?
- context|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
ang:hireling
fa:hireling
io:hireling
te:hireling
vi:hireling
zh:hireling
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