overwinningsnederlaag

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Dutch

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Etymology

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From overwinning (victory) +‎ nederlaag (defeat).

Noun

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overwinningsnederlaag f (plural overwinningsnederlagen, diminutive overwinningsnederlaagje n)

  1. a victory that resembles a defeat
    De stress van het moment, allicht, maar mogelijk zat in het achterhoofd van de N-VA-leider ook al de vrees voor een overwinningsnederlaag. (De Morgen newspaper, 26 May 2014, [1])
    Likely it was the stress of the moment, but possibly the NVA-party leader also feared a victory that resembles a defeat.

Usage notes

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Not to be confused with pyrrusoverwinning (a very costly victory, a Pyrrhic victory). An overwinningsnederlaag is not necessarily a costly victory.