Pyrrhic victory

Named after the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus, who suffered heavy losses while defeating the Romans.

• IPA^(key): /ˌpɪɹ.ɪk ˈvɪk.t(ə)ɹ.i/

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Pyrrhic victory (plural Pyrrhic victories)

1. A very costly victory, wherein the considerable losses outweigh the gain, so as to render the struggle not worth the cost.
   • "Tough pensions regulation designed to protect employees in final-salary occupational schemes will prove a pyrrhic victory for unions and the government, a report warned yesterday." —The Guardian, October 6, 2005
   • "We now know that it [the Six-Day War] was a Pyrrhic victory." —Amos Elon: Israelis & Palestinians: What Went Wrong?, November 21, 2002

• hollow victory

• Pyrrhic