pyrrhic
1consisting of two short or unaccented syllables.
composed of or pertaining to pyrrhics.
Also called dibrach. a pyrrhic foot.
Origin of pyrrhic
1Words Nearby pyrrhic
Other definitions for pyrrhic (2 of 3)
an ancient Greek warlike dance in which the motions of actual warfare were imitated.
of, relating to, or denoting this dance.
Origin of pyrrhic
2Other definitions for Pyrrhic (3 of 3)
of, relating to, or resembling Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, or his costly victory.
Origin of Pyrrhic
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pyrrhic in a sentence
However, considering how acrimonious the road to the resolution was, the settlement raises the question of who actually won the pyrrhic victory and what does that mean for the future of connected TV distribution deals.
How TV networks are setting up for the expanding ad-supported streaming war | Tim Peterson | September 23, 2020 | DigidayIt's a pyrrhic symbolic victory that could actually be causing extra environmental damage.
The Quixotic Crusade Against the Keystone Pipeline | Megan McArdle | March 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThis will be a war of attrition and a pyrrhic and Camdean Victory for myself.
Rogue L.A. Cop’s Facebook Manifesto: ‘You Will Now Live the Life of Prey’ | The Daily Beast | February 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTLegislators are no longer thinking ahead even as far as the next election; all their focus is on the next pyrrhic victory.
But Howard Kurtz says it could prove a pyrrhic victory that could threaten his second-term agenda.
Obama Fiscal Cliff Victory Could Invite Years of Warfare With the GOP | Howard Kurtz | January 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
However, if that is all that isaccomplished, it will be a pyrrhic victory.
pyrrhic, pir′ik, n. a kind of war-dance among the ancient Greeks: a poetical foot consisting of two short syllables.
The weak feet are those which have the most short syllables or end in a short syllable; as the pyrrhic, the Trochee, the Tribrach.
Dissertation on the English Language | Noah Webster, Jr.Here the measure and melody are perfect; the period closing with three Iambics, preceded by a pyrrhic.
Dissertation on the English Language | Noah Webster, Jr.Do not be so imbecile as to believe that your garden will be hailed upon, if you have missed dancing the pyrrhic or the cordax.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 10 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)The figures of our losses made the Somme a pyrrhic victory, and there was troubled wonder where the new drafts were to be found.
Sonia Married | Stephen McKenna
British Dictionary definitions for pyrrhic (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpɪrɪk) prosody /
a metrical foot of two short or unstressed syllables
of or relating to such a metrical foot
(of poetry) composed in pyrrhics
Origin of pyrrhic
1British Dictionary definitions for pyrrhic (2 of 2)
/ (ˈpɪrɪk) /
a war dance of ancient Greece
of or relating to this dance
Origin of pyrrhic
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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