What is Pyrrhic victory?
A '''Pyrrhic victory''' is [[battle]] won at too great a cost. It is one in which the side that won the [[victory]] suffers very badly.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/pyrrhus.html |title=Pyrrhus |access-date=2009-05-21 |archive-date=2011-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106123312/http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/pyrrhus.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> A Pyrrhic victory may take place when the victorious army has lost a huge number of men or when the enemy army has reinforcements about to arrive which greatly outnumber the winning army and mean that the chances of a second victory are very low. A Pyrrhic victory is named after King [[Pyrrhus]] of [[Epirus]]. He won a battle against the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] in 280 BC but many of his men and most of his friends and top commanders died in the battle. == References == {{reflist}} {{military-stub}} [[Category:Battles of the Ancient World]] [[Category:Military terminology]] [[Category:Phrases]]