Pyrrhic trimeter is a metrical line consisting of three pyrrhic feet—each foot comprising two unstressed syllables (˘ ˘)—though in practice, pure pyrrhic lines are rare in English poetry due to the language’s stress-timed nature; more commonly, pyrrhic substitutions appear within predominantly iambic or trochaic lines to create rhythmic variation or expressive lightness, and when used intentionally across a full trimeter, the effect can suggest haste, breathlessness, or emotional instability, as seen in moments of dramatic urgency in Shakespearean blank verse or modern free verse that mimics prosodic collapse.

Three-foot line using pyrrhic feet (two unstressed syllables). Rare meter creating flowing, unstressed rhythm. Compare with spondaic for rhythmic contrast.