A Pyrrhic Victory Costs More Than It Wins
Victory is success in a contest. One kind has its own name, from a king who won two battles and lost his army doing it.
Victory is success against an opponent. One type carries a warning: a *Pyrrhic victory* is one won at ruinous cost, named after King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans twice in the 270s BC and is reported to have said that another such victory would finish him.
- Success in a contest. *A narrow victory.*
- Success in war. *Victory in Europe.*
- Pyrrhic victory — one that costs too much. *A Pyrrhic victory at best.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | victory | A famous victory. |
| Plural | victories | Successive victories. |
| Adjective | victorious | The victorious side. |
| Person | victor | The victor's speech. |
| Opposite | defeat | A heavy defeat. |
How it is used in a sentence
- It was a comfortable victory.Sport.
- The ruling was a Pyrrhic victory.Won at disproportionate cost.
- Victory has a hundred fathers.The rest of the saying: defeat is an orphan.
Kinds of victory
- Pyrrhic — won at unsustainable cost
- Landslide — an overwhelming election win
- Comeback — victory after being behind
- Walkover — a win because the opponent did not compete
- Moral victory — a defeat with something salvaged
From Latin *victoria*, from *vincere*, to conquer — the same verb as in *convince*, *evict* and *invincible*.
Who was Pyrrhus?
A king of Epirus who defeated Roman armies at Heraclea and Asculum with losses so heavy that his position collapsed anyway.
Are convince and victory related?
Yes. Both come from Latin *vincere*, to conquer. Convincing someone is winning the argument.