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• pyrrhic
  pyrrhic

  adjective

  consisting of two short or unaccented syllables.
• Pyrrhic
  Pyrrhic

  adjective

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

pyrrhic

¹ American  

[pir-ik] / ˈpɪr ɪk /

adjective

1. consisting of two short or unaccented syllables.

2. composed of or pertaining to pyrrhics.

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noun

1. Also called dibrach.  a pyrrhic foot.

pyrrhic ² American  

[pir-ik] / ˈpɪr ɪk /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting this dance.

Pyrrhic ³ American  

[pir-ik] / ˈpɪr ɪk /

adjective

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

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pyrrhic ¹ British  

/ ˈpɪrɪk /

noun

1. a metrical foot of two short or unstressed syllables

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adjective

1. of or relating to such a metrical foot

2. (of poetry) composed in pyrrhics

pyrrhic ² British  

/ ˈpɪrɪk /

noun

1. a war dance of ancient Greece

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adjective

1. of or relating to this dance

Etymology

Origin of pyrrhic¹

1620–30; < Latin pyrrhichius < Greek pyrrhíchios pertaining to the pyrrhíchē pyrrhic ²

Origin of pyrrhic²

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

Origin of Pyrrhic³

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

Explanation

Use the adjective pyrrhic to describe a victory that is won, but at too great a cost. In this use as an adjective, the word is often capitalized. The word pyrrhic comes from the Greek general, Pyrrhus, who defeated the Romans at the Battle of Asculum but lost so many troops that he couldn't defeat Rome itself. If you are the winner in an argument with your brother, but the fight ends up ruining your relationship with him, it's a Pyrrhic victory. An ancient Greek war dance is also called a pyrrhic.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pyrrhic Pyrrhic

It was the first of many pyrrhic outcomes for hijackers, whose goals soon devolved from liberating Palestine to liberating imprisoned authors of previous hijackings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026

If you win, it may turn out to be a pyrrhic victory.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2025

Its pyrrhic victory on the eastern front was fundamental, like the western front Allied assault that followed D-Day, in bringing Nazi Germany to its knees.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2024

Gen. Saltzman said that the U.S. military wants to avoid a pyrrhic victory if war breaks out in space.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 16, 2023

She deserved to hurl whatever was available, to keep us moving, to speak in counterpoint to the deadening strings of my pyrrhic feet.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

But his long-drawn-out departure was a very Pyrrhic form of statesmanship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

But even if the Tegna acquisition makes it through the courts, Nexstar may find it has obtained a Pyrrhic victory.

From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026

If we can’t, winning the global AI race will be a Pyrrhic victory at best.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

“Robust weight loss that few can tolerate would be a Pyrrhic victory,” he wrote.

From Barron's ● Dec. 11, 2025

In what seemed even to me a doomed and Pyrrhic gesture, I switched to English literature without telling my parents.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt