Pyrrhic victories
Wins that devastate
Pyrrhic victories are wins that cost so much they feel like losses.
The term comes from King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose military victories against Rome in the 3rd century BC decimated his own forces.
We got the contract, but it was a Pyrrhic victory—we had to slash our margins to nothing.
The phrase captures situations where the price of success undermines the success itself.
- winsAchieved first places
- bitter tasteSharp, unpleasant flavor
- defeatVictory over another
- ashesBurned matter's residue
- painBodily or emotional distress
graves · shattered · wounds · corpses · successes · rubble · collapse · fatigue · conquests · attrition warfare · war of attrition · ruins · scorched earth policies · hollow · counteroffensive · siege warfare · scars · ancient warfare
victory, victories, victorious, victoriously, victor, victors