You’ve read it, heard it, and maybe even parroted it, but just in case you didn’t know: a Pyrrhic (rhymes with beer-ick) victory refers to a victory that comes at such great cost that it can hardly be considered a victory at all.
The term comes from ancient Greek King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans in a series of battles in what is now southern Italy in 279 BC during the Pyrrhic War. Even though victorious, his army suffered such catastrophic losses that he was quoted as saying “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.” Pyrrhus was reputedly one of the great military geniuses of his time, but unfortunately his legacy comes to us as a synonym for ruinous victory at all costs.