TOP

Definition of Pyrrhic victory noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Pyrrhic victory

noun
 
/ˌpɪrɪk ˈvɪktəri/
 
/ˌpɪrɪk ˈvɪktəri/
jump to other results
  1. a victory that is not worth winning because the winner has suffered or lost so much in winning it
    • Political commentators believed that it was a Pyrrhic victory, which had left him considerably weakened.
    More Like This Expressions from history and legendExpressions from history and legend
    Word OriginFrom Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus who defeated the Romans in 279 BC but lost many of his own men.
See Pyrrhic victory in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: Pyrrhic victory

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
B2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day