pyrrhic

Pyrrhic victory

A victory that is not worth achieving because of the excessive toll it takes on the victor. Winning the lawsuit was a Pyrrhic victory, since it cost us everything we had.
See also: pyrrhic, victory
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Pyrrhic victory

A victory that is offset by staggering losses, as in The campaign was so divisive that even though he won the election it was a Pyrrhic victory . This expression alludes to Kind Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans at Asculum in b.c. 279, but lost his best officers and many of his troops. Pyrrhus then said: "Another such victory and we are lost." In English the term was first recorded (used figuratively) in 1879.
See also: pyrrhic, victory
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a Pyrrhic victory

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. If gun-control advocates achieve their goals by threats, rather than through properly enacted legislation, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. Note: This expression comes from the victory of King Pyrrhus over the Romans, in which much of King Pyrrhus's army was killed.
See also: pyrrhic, victory
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

Pyrrhic victory

a victory gained at too great a cost.
Pyrrhus was a king of Epirus, who defeated the Romans at Asculum in 279 bc , but in doing so sustained heavy losses and lost his finest troops.
See also: pyrrhic, victory
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a ˌPyrrhic ˈvictory

a victory which is achieved at too high a price and therefore not worth having: It was a Pyrrhic victory. They won the strike but then most of them lost their jobs.This idiom refers to Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, who in 279BC defeated the Romans but lost all his best officers and men.
See also: pyrrhic, victory
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

Pyrrhic victory

A victory that is worse for the winners than the losers. The term refers to the victory of King Pyrrhus of Epirus over the Romans at Asculum in 279 b.c. In this first major battle between the Greeks and the Romans, Pyrrhus lost his best officers and many of his troops. Ever since the term Pyrrhic victory has meant a victory so costly that it counts as a defeat.
See also: pyrrhic, victory
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a Pyrrhic victory
  • Pyrrhic victory
  • victory
  • landslide victory
  • taste blood
  • penny ante
  • penny-ante
  • fight it out
  • fight out
  • a battle of wits
References in periodicals archive
The ancient Pyrrhic dance from Greece - according to some, a precursor to Attan
Pashtun moves
This release is a filler for Pyrrhic before the release of his debut album
Pyrrhic Launches Website Alongside New E.P.
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost that it is tantamount to defeat.
UNHRC Resolution vote: A Pyrrhic victory for the West
"It's a Pyrrhic victory" for Ukraine, said Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister, who helped craft the Eastern Partnership back in 2009.
VILNIUS SUMMIT : UKRAINE, EU'S "DISAPPOINTMENT"
To opt for control of a low income tax take but risk losing Barnett and other funding from Westminster would be a Pyrrhic victory.
Shenanigans are a warning for Wales; LETTERS
In his first remarks since being asked to form a government by President Giorgio Napolitano, Letta said his "surprise" at being nominated was "equal to the profound sense of responsibility that I feel weighing on my shoulders." He is expected to lead the PD into a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives and centrists led by outgoing premier Mario Monti - an outcome his party had resisted with all his might since a pyrrhic victory in February elections left it short of a clear parliamentary majority.
Letta faces hard task in crisis alliance with Berlusconi
judge granted Samsung a somewhat Pyrrhic victory when he ruled that the Korean company's Galaxy tablets did not infringe the iPad because they weren't "cool" enough to be confused with Apple's product.
Apple wins UK essential patent claim against Samsung
The decades-long battle between communism and capitalism--essentially two different ways of organizing the economy that became spiritually motivating raisons d'etres for large segments of the world--ended in a pyrrhic victory for capitalists.
All disquiet on the Western civilization front?
MPs welcomed the decision to save the QDG but described it as a "pyrrhic victory" as the larger 2nd Battalion of the Royal Welsh is to be scrapped.
Welsh Cavalry saved; BUT THERE'S FURY AS 600 JOBS ARE AXED IN ROYAL WELSH BATTALION MERGER
WHEN COLOMBIA'S CONSTITUTIONAL Court ruled in 2011 in favor of a 12-year-old girl who sought an abortion because her life and health were in danger, it was a pyrrhic victory.
Colombia upholds right to abortion in cases where a woman's mental health is in danger
As pyrrhic victories go, though, this one was right up there for Rangers.
Hollow hollow victory
From Netanyahu's perspective, the suspension of the Iranian nuclear threat could become a Pyrrhic victory: The world powers will turn toward other crises in the Middle East--including, of course, the Israeli occupation and its injustices.
Netanyahu fears victory over Iran's nuclear program
"Building a large number of ships is necessary, but building a large number of ships with limited combat capability at the expense of increasing the number of ships with higher capability could well be a Pyrrhic victory."
Senator sounds alarms about U.S. shipbuilding industry
The thirteen stories in this collection are organised by date of publication although the fourth, 'A Pyrrhic Victory' was actually the first written.
A Day in the Life of a Smiting Woman: The Collected Stories
A week ago, the Los Angeles Times noted, "Palestinian leaders lack a clear strategy, yet they are under pressure to keep the momentum going or risk a public backlash." The UNESCO victory is something of a Pyrrhic oneamong other things, the Palestinian Authority risks going bankrupt due to Israel's continued refusal to hand over tax transfersand given the lack of popularity for its membership bid among the U.N.
Reconciliation 2.0