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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

Fischer has a gift for highlighting the ways that moments that we now accept as inevitable were often the product of dumb luck, pyrrhic victories and tough decisions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

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

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

From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026

“Paramount is paying a stiff price, and its winning bid may turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory,” we wrote on Feb. 27, after Netflix bowed out of the takeover battle.

From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

Pyrrhic economic gains and empty moral positioning mean less to Somaliland’s leaders than the necessity of determining their own destiny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026

A Pyrrhic victory is one where you win, but the cost of winning is so high that it would’ve been better if you'd never bothered with the war in the first place.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell