Meaning: A victory achieved at too great a cost to be considered a true success
Hindi: भारी हानि पर प्राप्त जीत
Synonyms: costly win, hollow victory, empty triumph
Antonyms: decisive win, clean victory
Asked in: SSC Selection Post Ph-14 2026 (Graduate Level) · SSC Selection Post Ph-14 2026 (Higher Secondary Level)
pyrrhic victory in SSC previous-year questions
- SSC Selection Post Ph-14 2026 (Graduate Level) Idioms & Phrases
Which of the following options most accurately expresses the meaning of the idiom “A Pyrrhic victory”?
Answer & explanation
Answer: A) A successful outcome achieved at such a ruinous and devastating cost to the victor that it is tantamount to a strategic defeat.
Meaning: a Pyrrhic victory = a win that costs the winner so much that it is almost a defeat *(भारी क्षति वाली जीत, हार जैसी जीत)*.
Origin.
King Pyrrhus of Epirus beat the Romans at Heraclea (280 BC) and Asculum (279 BC) but lost so many of his best troops that he is said to have remarked, "One more such victory and we are lost."
Why the others are wrong.
#B A win shared equally by a team *(सामूहिक प्रयास से मिली साझा सफलता)* — there is no ruinous cost; the idiom for it is *a team effort* / *a win-win*.
#B A decisive conquest that wipes out an enemy *(निर्णायक विजय)* — a *crushing* or *decisive victory*; a Pyrrhic victory leaves the victor badly weakened.
#B A people's victory that benefits - SSC Selection Post Ph-14 2026 (Higher Secondary Level) Idioms & Phrases
In the following sentence, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which gives the correct meaning of the underlined idiom or phrase.
Winning the lawsuit was a pyrrhic victory, as the legal fees exceeded the settlement amount.Answer & explanation
Answer: A) A victory gained at too great a cost
Meaning: pyrrhic victory = a win that costs the winner so much that it is hardly worth winning *(भारी क़ीमत चुकाकर मिली जीत)*.
The sentence proves it: *the legal fees exceeded the settlement amount* — the case was won, but money was lost.
Origin.
King Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated the Romans at Heraclea (280 BC) and Asculum (279 BC) but lost so many soldiers that he is said to have remarked, "Another such victory and we are undone."
Why the others are wrong.
#B An easy and effortless win *(आसान जीत)* — that is a *walkover* or *a cakewalk*.
#B A victory achieved through cheating *(धोखे से मिली जीत)* — that is winning by *foul play*, an *ill-gotten* win.
#B A celebration after a long war *(लंबे
Examples
- “Winning the lawsuit but losing the company's reputation was a pyrrhic victory.”
pyrrhic victory – questions
What is the meaning of pyrrhic victory in Hindi?
pyrrhic victory means “भारी हानि पर प्राप्त जीत” in Hindi. In English: A victory achieved at too great a cost to be considered a true success
What are the synonyms of pyrrhic victory?
Synonyms of pyrrhic victory: costly win, hollow victory, empty triumph.
What is the opposite of pyrrhic victory?
Antonyms of pyrrhic victory: decisive win, clean victory.
Has pyrrhic victory been asked in SSC exams?
Yes – pyrrhic victory has been asked 2 times in SSC exams: SSC Selection Post Ph-14 2026 (Graduate Level), SSC Selection Post Ph-14 2026 (Higher Secondary Level).