Pyrrhic victory

Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic Pyr"rhic, a. [L. pyrrhichius, Gr. ? belonging to the ? (sc. ?) a kind of war dance.] 1. Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance. `` ye have the pyrrhic dance as yet.'' --Byron. [1913 Webster]

2. (Pros.) Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic; as, a pyrrhic verse. [1913 Webster]

{Pyrrhic victory} [From Pyrrhus, king of Epirus.], (a) a victory in which the winning side sustains very heavy losses. (b) any act supposedly benefitting the actor, for which the costs outweight the benefits. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • pyrrhic victory — A Pyrrhic victory is one that causes the victor to suffer so much to achieve it that it isn t worth winning …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • Pyrrhic victory — [pir′ik, pir′ik] n. [Gr Pyrrhikos] a too costly victory: in reference to either of two victories of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, over the Romans in 280 and 279 B.C., with very heavy losses …   English World dictionary

  • Pyrrhic victory — A Pyrrhic victory (IPAEng|ˈpɪrɪk) is a victory with devastating cost to the victor. The phrase is named after King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC …   Wikipedia

  • pyrrhic victory — UK [ˌpɪrɪk ˈvɪkt(ə)rɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms pyrrhic victory : singular pyrrhic victory plural pyrrhic victories a victory that is not worth winning because you lost a lot in order to achieve it …   English dictionary

  • Pyrrhic victory —    A victory that is obtained at a tremendous cost, or causes such a great loss that it is not worth winning, is called a Pyrrhic victory.     It was a Pyrrhic victory. The shop owner won the lawsuit but went bankrupt because of the legal… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • pyrrhic victory — [[t]pɪ̱rɪk vɪ̱ktəri[/t]] pyrrhic victories N COUNT If you describe a victory as a pyrrhic victory, you mean that although someone has won or gained something, they have also lost something which was worth even more …   English dictionary

  • Pyrrhic Victory — A victory or success that comes at the expense of great losses or costs. In business, examples of such a victory could be succeeding at a hostile takeover bid or winning a lengthy and expensive lawsuit. In 2001, Microsoft won a Pyrrhic victory in …   Investment dictionary

  • Pyrrhic Victory —    Pyrrhus (319 272 B.C.), king of Epirus, a kingdom in northern Greece, engaged the Romans in a bloody battle at Asculum in 279 B.C. Pyrrhus s troops defeated the Roman legions, but at a tragic cost. So many of his soldiers were lost all his… …   Dictionary of eponyms

  • pyrrhic victory —    A Pyrrhic victory is one that causes the victor to suffer so much to achieve it that it isn t worth winning.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • Pyrrhic victory —   A Pyrrhic victory is one that causes the victor to suffer so much to achieve it that it isn t worth winning …   Dictionary of English idioms

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