pyrrhic
/ˈpɪ.ɹɪk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of or characterized by pyrrhics (metrical feet with two short syllables).
adj
Relating to Pyrrhus, a Macedonian king, or some of his costly victories he had while fighting Rome.
adj
Alternative letter-case form of Pyrrhic (“achieved at too great a cost”).
noun
noun
A metric foot with two short or unaccented syllables.
adj
Achieved at too great a cost or detriment to have been worthwhile (as a victory, accomplishment, etc).
Example Sentences
- "Huwawa is slain; the victors triumph, but the victory is to be a pyrrhic one for Gilgamesh, for the gods have met in counsel and decreed that Enkidu should die."
- "In the ministry, it is important to avoid pyrrhic victories. What really is a pyrrhic victory? A pyrrhic victory is a victory that comes with such devastating cost that ultimately nullifies the victory that has been achieved."
- "As victories go, it look^([sic]) distinctly pyrrhic – shades of Nixon and North Vietnam in 1972."
- "The Pyrrhic army lost the Pyrrhic war."
- "Although this syndrome is thought to resemble patterns of Pyrrhic revenge […]"
- "I feared a Pyrrhic victory: I had been vindicated intellectually, but I was afraid of being too right and seeing the system crumble under my feet."
Etymology
From Latin pyrrhichius (“dibrach”), from πυρρίχη (purrhíkhē, “war dance”), from πυρρός (purrhós, “flame-colored, red”), from πῦρ (pûr, “fire”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈpɪ.ɹɪk/