Pyrrhic victory

Also found in: Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Pyrrhic victory

n.
A victory that is offset by staggering losses.

[After Pyrrhus.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Pyrrhic victory

n
a victory in which the victor's losses are as great as those of the defeated. Also called: Cadmean victory
[named after Pyrrhus, who defeated the Romans at Asculum in 279 bc but suffered heavy losses]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Pyr′rhic vic′tory


n.
a victory or goal achieved at too great a cost.
[1880–85; < Greek Pyrrhikós; after a remark attributed by Plutarch to Pyrrhus, who declared, after a costly victory over the Romans, that another similar victory would ruin him]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pyrrhic victory

One which proves more costly than defeat. Named for the Greek ruler who defeated a Roman army in 280 BC.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Pyrrhic victory - a victory that is won by incurring terrible losses
triumph, victory - a successful ending of a struggle or contest; "a narrow victory"; "the general always gets credit for his army's victory"; "clinched a victory"; "convincing victory"; "the agreement was a triumph for common sense"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Pyrrhovo vítězství
Pyrrhussiegeinen Pyrrhussieg erringen
victoire à la Pyrrhus
pürroszi győzelem
Mentioned in
References in periodicals archive
He said: "It was a pyrrhic victory for 20th Century Fox as the judge made a security of costs order of just pounds 50,000 when I could have had to pay into the court hundreds of thousands of pounds."
The South African centre and his side endured a pyrrhic victory at London Wasps on Saturday, with a 14-10 Adams Park triumph ultimately not enough to guarantee their top-flight status.
If yesterday's bloodbath was all about stopping aid getting into Gaza, and deterring future aid voyages, then Israel has scored a pyrrhic victory, the full price of which remains yet to be seen.
He then led 4-2 against Wayne Jones before Woody sank back-to-back 11-darters and a 12-darter to nick a pyrrhic victory.
'At that price, any short-term progress on a Structural Fund settlement would represent a Pyrrhic victory.'
'I recognise what Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell did not after their pyrrhic victory in January - that nobody in this saga behaved perfectly.'
It did not take a genius to see that Downing Street's fight with the BBC could never result in anything but a Pyrrhic victory -and we said so a week before Dr Kelly's death.
Even getting his plane back proved to be a pyrrhic victory. As Munnerlyn learned, the government has no obligation to maintain or safeguard the property in its custody--despite charging him storage fees.
Only after the local media did stories on Mulligan's picket did the hospital allow him to see a laundered version of his records, a pyrrhic victory which, after three years of time, money, and frustration, was all Mulligan could hope for.
He was killed in the operation but it was a pyrrhic victory as 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas.
Mass killer Jeremy Bamber and the other merciless criminals won a pyrrhic victory yesterday and we are confident they will remain banged up for ever.
Pierluigi Bersani, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, called the result a "Pyrrhic victory".
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.