Pyrrhic victory
Meaning
A victory achieved at such a devastating cost to the victor that it is tantamount to defeat.
Origin
In 279 BCE, King Pyrrhus of Epirus clashed with the Roman Republic at the Battle of Asculum. His forces technically won, driving the Romans back, but the cost was staggering: thousands of his best soldiers lay dead, and his commanders were decimated. Surveying the devastation, Pyrrhus grimly declared, 'Another such victory, and we are undone.' His triumph was so costly it barely differed from defeat, forever cementing his name as the namesake for any success achieved at an unsustainable, ruinous price.
Examples
- The company's acquisition was a Pyrrhic victory, as it left them deeply in debt and unable to innovate for years.
- Winning the argument felt like a Pyrrhic victory when I realized it had completely alienated my closest friend.