HIRELING Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

hireling

noun

ˈhī(-ə)r-liŋ

Definition of hireling

as in employee

one who works for another for wages or a salary demanded to speak to the store's owner and not one of his hirelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hireling In October, studio hirelings with sound cameras and recording devices descended on suburbs around Los Angeles and smaller southern California towns and asked voters to voice their political preferences. — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026 To pretend otherwise in the year 2024 is all-but to out oneself as a hireling. — Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 12 Feb. 2024 Neither should some assistant DA hireling be allowed to forgo appropriate punishment under state law. — Star Tribune, 8 Dec. 2020 Not since Carson Palmer has one of Mike Brown’s hirelings had the emperor in such a headlock. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 2 Jan. 2018 No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave. — Solomon Jones, Philly.com, 18 July 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hireling

Noun

Safety begins with owners and boards and extends to every employee operating an attraction.

— Dennis Speigel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
The proposal returned to the Baltimore County Council Tuesday, reigniting discussion over compensation for the county’s highest-ranking officials as some government employees continue pressing for higher pay.

— Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of employee

Noun

In new measures, the army said most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli West Bank settlements on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel's elections on Tuesday.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Crump also highlighted that Foster was accused of making a racially offensive remark to a co-worker days before the shooting, according to Mississippi Today.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of worker

Browse Nearby Words

hired guns

hireling

hirelings

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hireling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hireling. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hireling

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shindig

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes