惜敗(せきはい)

せきはい
noun/suru-verb
narrow defeat; close loss
1. narrow defeat; close loss
losing by a small margin; a defeat that was close and regrettable
1点差(てんさ)で惜敗(せきはい)した。
We suffered a narrow defeat by one point.
決勝(けっしょう)で惜敗(せきはい)し、銀(ぎん)メダルに終(お)わった。
They narrowly lost in the finals and ended up with a silver medal.
惜敗(せきはい)だったが、次(つぎ)につながる試合(しあい)だった。
It was a narrow loss, but it was a match that will lead to future success.

惜敗(せきはい) describes a defeat that was very close and therefore regrettable.

COMPOSITION:

  • 惜(せき): Regrettable, unfortunate
  • 敗(はい): Defeat

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 惜敗(せきはい)する (to suffer a narrow defeat)
  • 惜敗(せきはい)を喫(きっ)する (to suffer a narrow defeat - formal)
  • 僅差(きんさ)で惜敗(せきはい) (narrow defeat by a small margin)

USAGE NOTES:

  • Implies the loss was close enough that it could have gone either way
  • Often used when praising a team/person despite the loss
  • Contains the nuance that it's regrettable to have lost

DEGREES OF DEFEAT (from heaviest to lightest):

  • 惨敗(ざんぱい) (crushing defeat)
  • 大敗(たいはい) (heavy defeat)
  • 惜敗(せきはい) (narrow defeat)

OPPOSITE PAIR:

  • 惜敗(せきはい) (narrow defeat) ↔ 辛勝(しんしょう) (narrow victory)

RELATED TERMS:

  • 辛勝(しんしょう) (narrow victory - opposite)
  • 接戦(せっせん) (close game)
  • 善戦(ぜんせん) (good fight - focus on effort)

REGISTER: Neutral. Common in sports commentary.

general
Added 2026.1.22 14:13
07500/07904_sekihai