Pyrrhic victory

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English[edit]

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Etymology[edit]

Named after the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus, who suffered heavy losses while defeating the Romans.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˌpɪɹ.ɪk ˈvɪk.t(ə)ɹ.i/
  • (file)

Noun[edit]

Pyrrhic victory (plural Pyrrhic victories)

  1. A very costly victory, wherein the considerable losses outweigh the gain, so as to render the struggle not worth the cost.
    • 2005 October 6, The Guardian[1]:
      Tough pensions regulation designed to protect employees in final-salary occupational schemes will prove a pyrrhic victory for unions and the government, a report warned yesterday.
    • 2002 November 21, Amos Elon, “Israelis & Palestinians: What Went Wrong?”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[2]:
      We now know that it [the Six-Day War] was a Pyrrhic victory.

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