Pyrrhic victory

• The expression a ‘Pyrrhic victory’, means a victory that has been won, but leaving the victor in such a weakened state, that any further conflict would result in defeat.

Pyrrhic War

• During the Pyrrhic War (290-275 BCE) King Pyrrhus defeated a Roman Army, but with a great loss of his men.
• The expression is derived from Plutarch who described a speech by Pyrrhus, where he admitted that one more victory at such a high cost in men, would ruin his army.
• He was comparing the irreplaceable losses of his own men to the endless flow of new recruits into the Roman Army.