This is the 8425th most frequent Japanese word.
惜敗
"Narrow defeat" or "regretful loss."
Here, 惜敗 is used to describe the team's outcome of narrowly losing despite a commendable effort.
彼のチームは惜敗したが、全力を尽くした試合だった。
His team experienced a narrow defeat, but it was a game where they gave their all.
In this context, 惜敗 is used to reflect on learning from the narrow defeat for future improvement.
我々は惜敗を乗り越え、次の試合に向けてさらに努力します。
We will overcome the narrow defeat and work harder for the next match.
Here, 惜敗 is employed to discuss evaluating the narrow defeat for understanding its cause.