Which option correctly defines the adjective form of mercenary in the sense of money?

• A. Working or acting only for money or other reward
• B. A professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army
• C. A person who is motivated primarily by money
• D. A person who travels for money

Answer: (A)

Mercenary here is about money-driven behavior. As an adjective, it describes actions or motives that are motivated only by money or other rewards. So “working or acting only for money or other reward” captures that sense, describing how someone behaves rather than naming a person or a role.

The other options point to different senses: a professional soldier hired to fight is a noun sense of mercenary, naming a person. A description of a person motivated by money is close in meaning but isn’t the adjective form. And traveling for money isn’t the standard definition of mercenary.