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Definition of "pyrrhic" [pyr•rhic]

  • A metrical foot having two short or unaccented syllables. (noun)
  • Of or characterized by pyrrhics. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pyrrhic" in a sentence
  • "If not getting the World Cup is a victory, then surely it's a kind of pyrrhic victory."
  • "Looked at through other lenses, however, the victory was pyrrhic, meaning that the legitimacy losses, collateral and direct, were substantial enough to lead one to wonder whether the victory was cost effective."
  • "If that happens, even a Walker victory would be a pyrrhic one."