pyrrhic

[ pir-ik ]

/ ˈpɪr ɪk /

Prosody

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adjective

consisting of two short or unaccented syllables.

composed of or pertaining to pyrrhics.

noun

Also called dibrach. a pyrrhic foot.

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Origin of pyrrhic

1620–30; <Latin pyrrhichius<Greek pyrrhíchios pertaining to the pyrrhíchēpyrrhic²

Words nearby pyrrhic

pyrotraumatic dermatitis, pyroxene, pyroxenite, pyroxylin, Pyrrha, pyrrhic, Pyrrhic victory, Pyrrho, Pyrrhonism, pyrrhotite, pyrrhuloxia

Other definitions for pyrrhic (2 of 3)

pyrrhic²

[ pir-ik ]

/ ˈpɪr ɪk /

noun

an ancient Greek warlike dance in which the motions of actual warfare were imitated.

adjective

of, relating to, or denoting this dance.

Origin of pyrrhic

1590–1600; <Latin pyrrhicha<Greek pyrrhíchē a dance; said to be named after Pyrrhichus, the inventor

Other definitions for pyrrhic (3 of 3)

Pyrrhic

[ pir-ik ]

/ ˈpɪr ɪk /

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, or his costly victory.

Origin of Pyrrhic

First recorded in 1880–85; Pyrrh(us) + -ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pyrrhic in a sentence

However, considering how acrimonious the road to the resolution was, the settlement raises the question of who actually won the pyrrhic victory and what does that mean for the future of connected TV distribution deals.
How TV networks are setting up for the expanding ad-supported streaming war|Tim Peterson|September 23, 2020|Digiday
It's a pyrrhic symbolic victory that could actually be causing extra environmental damage.
The Quixotic Crusade Against the Keystone Pipeline|Megan McArdle|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This will be a war of attrition and a Pyrrhic and Camdean Victory for myself.
Rogue L.A. Cop’s Facebook Manifesto: ‘You Will Now Live the Life of Prey’|The Daily Beast|February 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Legislators are no longer thinking ahead even as far as the next election; all their focus is on the next Pyrrhic victory.
Washington Goes Platinum|Megan McArdle|January 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But Howard Kurtz says it could prove a pyrrhic victory that could threaten his second-term agenda.
Obama Fiscal Cliff Victory Could Invite Years of Warfare With the GOP|Howard Kurtz|January 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
However, if that is all that isaccomplished, it will be a Pyrrhic victory.
Be Careful What You Wish For In Syria|Theodore Kattouf|December 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Pyrrhic, pir′ik, n. a kind of war-dance among the ancient Greeks: a poetical foot consisting of two short syllables.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
The weak feet are those which have the most short syllables or end in a short syllable; as the Pyrrhic, the Trochee, the Tribrach.
Dissertation on the English Language|Noah Webster, Jr.
Here the measure and melody are perfect; the period closing with three Iambics, preceded by a Pyrrhic.
Dissertation on the English Language|Noah Webster, Jr.
Do not be so imbecile as to believe that your garden will be hailed upon, if you have missed dancing the pyrrhic or the cordax.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
The figures of our losses made the Somme a Pyrrhic victory, and there was troubled wonder where the new drafts were to be found.
Sonia Married|Stephen McKenna

British Dictionary definitions for pyrrhic (1 of 2)

pyrrhic¹

/ (ˈpɪrɪk) prosody /

noun

a metrical foot of two short or unstressed syllables

adjective

of or relating to such a metrical foot

(of poetry) composed in pyrrhics

Word Origin for pyrrhic

C16: via Latin, from Greek purrhikhē, traditionally said to be named after its inventor Purrhikhos

British Dictionary definitions for pyrrhic (2 of 2)

pyrrhic²

/ (ˈpɪrɪk) /

noun

a war dance of ancient Greece

adjective

of or relating to this dance

Word Origin for pyrrhic

C17: Latin from Greek purrhikhios belonging to the purrhikhē war dance performed in armour; see pyrrhic 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012