sciamachy

1 9.9

A pointless fight against an imagined opponent

noun
/ˈskaɪəˌmɑːki/

Archaic

: sciamachía

Debating with internet trolls often feels like engaging in sciamachy.

Examples

The novel's hero is caught in a constant sciamachy against invisible enemies.
What a pointless sciamachy that was!
His efforts to reform the ancient institution turned out to be mere sciamachy.
Don't engage in sciamachies that lead nowhere.
Many political debates today feel like a sciamachy, distracting us from real issues that need addressing.
The arguments between the two friends were nothing more than a sciamachy, as neither of them truly cared to resolve the conflict.
Her attempts to argue with imaginary opponents were just a sciamachy, highlighting her frustration with the real issues she faced.

Surface Forms

sciamachy singular

sciamachies plural

Etymology

Sciamachy comes from Greek parts skia 'shadow' and mache 'battle', so it literally means a 'shadow-battle'. A sciamachy is therefore a useless or imaginary fight against an opponent who is not real.