I am looking for a word (preferably and adjective) to describe someone who only does something for others if he gets something in return, like a 'merchant spirited' person. I would like to use a word with a rather negative connotation. It is for a title of a book but I am not sure if the word 'merchant' carries a negative connotation or there is a better one.
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Mercantile, maybe.– ArjunCommented Sep 1, 2018 at 10:36
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How far has your own research taken you so far? What suggestions did your dictionaries and thesauruses have and why do they not work for you, please?– Robbie GoodwinCommented Sep 1, 2018 at 19:55
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2 Answers
The words 'merchant', 'tradesman' and 'businessman' are neutral (they have no negative connotations), but 'tradesman' and 'businessman' may be considered sexist in societies where female equality is valued, since they end in '-man'. A common negative adjective used about a person who does things only for something in return (especially money) is 'mercenary'.
mercenary
adjective
disapprovinginterested only in the amount of money that you can get from a situation:
He had some mercenary scheme to marry a wealthy widow.
answered Sep 1, 2018 at 8:47
'Acquisitive' is an adjective that conveys the characteristic of being only interested in one's own personal benefit or profit. It conveys a disinterest even in the thing acquired. The focus of the word is on the mere act of acquiring, in and of itself.
strongly desirous of acquiring and possessing
Having the ability, propensity, or desire to acquire things; esp. excessively concerned with material gain; greedy, avaricious.
Volex in acquisitive mood
