Pyrrhic victory
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Eponymous of the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus, who suffered heavy losses while defeating the Romans.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
Pyrrhic victory (plural Pyrrhic victories)
- A very costly victory, wherein the considerable losses outweigh the gain, so as to render the struggle not worth the cost.
- "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." —The Guardian, October 6, 2005
- "We now know that it [the Six-Day War] was a Pyrrhic victory." —Amos Elon: Israelis & Palestinians: What Went Wrong?, November 21, 2002
Translations[edit]
a costly victory
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