pyrrhic victory
Preserved but no longer current.
A ruinous victory. Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, after his victory over the Romans at Asculum (279 B.C.), when he lost the flower of his army, said to those sent to congratulate him, "One more such victory and Pyrrhus is undone.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “pyrrhic victory” mean?
A ruinous victory. Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, after his victory over the Romans at Asculum (279 B.C.), when he lost the flower of his army, said to those sent to congratulate him, "One more such victory and Pyrrhus is undone.
Is “pyrrhic victory” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.