This is another neat little phrase that is probably underused because we’re afraid that if we use it, someone might ask us to explain it. Fear no more, here is what you should already know.
A Pyrrhic victory refers to a victory that comes at such a great cost that it is arguably not a victory at all.
The origin comes from the Pyrrhic War where King Pyrrhus of Epirus successfully defended his people twice from the Romans, first at the Battle of Heraclea in 280 BC and then at the Battle of Asculum in 279 BC. His victories cost him so dearly in terms of men and resources that he was quoted as saying, “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.”