8 Victory Tattoos: Celebrate Your Triumph With Permanent Ink

Gorgeous and unique body art ideas that testify to your struggles and glorify your wins.

Reviewed by Ruslan Millinhton, Tattoo Artist Ruslan Millinhton Ruslan MillinhtonTattoo Artist facebook_iconyoutube_iconinsta_icon
Written by , MSc Manjari Uppal MSc linkedin_icon Experience: 3 years
Edited by , BA (Literature & Psychology), PG Diploma Arshiya Syeda BA (Literature & Psychology), PG Diploma linkedin_icon Experience: 8 years
Fact-checked by , MA (Mass Communication & Journalism) Joyce Joyson MA (Mass Communication & Journalism) linkedin_icon
Last Updated on

Complements are in short supply in a fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world like ours, so getting yourself a victory tattoo is hardly a stretch to celebrate your achievements, big or small. The power of recognizing the progress we make and complimenting ourselves are many, including a spirit that is quick to self-repair after every exhausting experience. A victory tattoo, be it one featuring a laurel wreath or a simple “V” alphabet, can not only serve as a reminder of your achievements and capabilities but also instantly uplift you into taking charge of your day and expanding your progress. Therefore, squish any second thoughts you have about getting a tattoo in this theme and continue scrolling through this article for some stunning tattoo ideas and inspiration.

Meaning Of Victory Tattoos

A victory tattoo could be any symbol or object that represents the wearer’s journey of success or triumph, small personal wins, or the general idea of overcoming great challenges to achieve something they had worked hard towards. Historically, there have been some popular symbols that universally signified victory, such as the Chi Rho symbol made by combining the Greek letters chi and rho (XP). In recent times, we have the V sign, made by spreading out the index and middle fingers while the remaining digits remain closed. However, a victory tattoo can be anything that honors the wearer’s personal victory in a specific journey. For instance, an Olympic athlete may get the Olympic rings or the special design on their Olympic medals for their victory tattoo. Similarly, an impression of a trophy or award, a little golden star, a crown, a flag on top of a mountain, etc., can all tell a deeply personal and distinct story of victories.

Now that we know there is no hard and fast rule for designing a victory tattoo as long as the wearer has a special attachment to the tattoo subject, let us check out some quirky and stimulating victory tattoo ideas in the following section.

8 Best Victory Tattoo Ideas

In a victory tattoo, from your choice of placement to the central subject of your tattoo, each little detail adds nuance to your rich journey of learning and re-learning until you finally achieve your goals. You can learn how to present this journey in wholesome personalized ways through the examples curated in the list below.

1. Winged Victory Tattoo

A winged victory tattoo on the forearm of a woman
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

A pair of wings that bring up the mental image of birds can easily be associated with freedom, ascending toward higher goals, spiritual heights, or the Goddess of Victory; Nike. They can symbolize inhuman or great achievements that can only be achieved through breaking out of shackles and reaching heights not many can achieve. You can get a simple pair of wings as your victory tattoo as shown above, or illustrate an object related to your field, such as a sports prop, gym equipment, books, etc., having wings.

2. Nike; Goddess Of Victory Tattoo

Nike goddess of victory tattoo on the back of the shoulder
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

Who can better represent the concept of victory if not the Goddess of victory herself; Nike! The above back-of-shoulder tattoo portrays Nike with her wings outstretched, ready to take flight. She is shown holding laurel or olive leaves in her hands, which are other popular Greek symbols of victory where laurel leaf wreaths were worn by people of high status, and olive leaf wreaths were used to crown winners in the ancient Olympic games. Another popular tattoo rendition of Nike is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, or Nike of Samothrace, which is a Greek marble sculpture masterpiece of Nike with its head missing, found thus during excavations in the 1860s.

3. Geometric Winged Victory Tattoo

A geometric winged victory tattoo on the forearm of a woman
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

Want a winged victory tattoo minus the soft shape and feel of the feathers? Try illustrating them in a geometric style. As you may note in the example above, a geometric style can add crisp lines, edges, and angles to your victory tattoo, giving it a rough and futuristic look. You can try prism-style patterns adding more facets to your tattoo, allowing for interesting gradient shading or vibrant coloring results. Add some motivational texts to this tattoo to further shape your symbolism and improve the appeal of your tattoo.

4. Private Victory Tattoo

A private victory tattoo on the side of the finger
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

Sometimes, we set private goals for ourselves that we would like to achieve at our own pace without external, social pressure. And perhaps it is the evolving nature of such goals that we do not wish to make a big deal out of it and celebrate them in private. The above tattoo is a cool example of a pretty yet inconspicuous design with an open yet obscure placement. The little crown stands for celebration or achieved goals, placed on the side of the finger, made visible through the specific position of your fingers, combining movement and design in an intriguing dance. You can also consider the back of your ear, ankles, or ribs for other cool placement options.

5. Victory Word Tattoo

A victory word tattoo on the upper back of a woman
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

Make your body art message straightforward by simply getting the word “Victory” tattooed onto a body placement of your choice. The above back tattoo design features the word “Victory” in large font that makes it stretch from shoulder to shoulder is a perfect example of self-love where the wearer is proud of themselves enough to get such a large tattoo commemorating their triumph. If such an extravagant display is not your thing, you may also get a small-size tattoo of the word on your wrist or around the elbow area for a classy look.

6. Symbol Of Victory Tattoo

A symbol of victory tattoo on the forearm of a woman
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

As mentioned above, across history, the symbol of victory has evolved or has had various interpretations. You can choose any of them for yourself, based on your aesthetic style and ideologies. The above victory tattoo is clearly a modern perception of the symbol, which is the “V” sign made with fingers. It makes for quite the quirky design that can instantly make you popular among your peers and open doors for interesting interactions and conversations.

7. Victory Neck Tattoo

A victory neck tattoo on a woman
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

As per certain cultural beliefs, our neck is the spot that houses our soul or life force. A tattoo on this spot means how much your victory means to you, no matter how small, and no matter it has any significant meaning in the grand scheme of things. This victory neck tattoo is a reminder that your struggles and achievements are your own and only you know when to keep marching forward and when to spot. Add symbolic flowers or pretty strokes to your design to make it more wholesome for yourself.

8. Victory Letter “V” Minimalist Tattoo

A victory letter V minimalist tattoo on the back of the ear
Image: Dall·E/StyleCraze Design Team

Here is another discreet tattoo design that allows you to make an eternal record of your personal achievements on your body without being loud about it. A simple letter “V” can keep your audience guessing if it represents a name, a number (Roman), or is some kind of cryptic code. The back-of-ear placement choice adds more mystery to the mix, making you appear an interesting character that everyone wishes to learn more about.

We are sure you found the above victory tattoo designs to be as sweet as the taste of victory itself! The fact that you need not adhere to a specific symbol, style, or placement for your tattoo adds half the appeal to these designs, allowing you to be as organic with your interpretations and self-expression of your tattoo as you want. The most popular victory tattoo is the one with a pair of wings as it symbolizes Nike, the Greek goddess of victory as well as freedom of flight in a minimalistic manner. A more discreet tattoo would be a tiny “V” alphabet on a less visible placement of your choice. Or you can simply be flamboyant and go for a hyperrealistic portrait of Nike herself. The options are endless and you also get to speak of your process, motivation, and future goals. We hope this article was helpful and you can find a tattoo that complements your views and stories suitably. Cheers!

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Ruslan Millinhton
Ruslan MillinhtonTattoo Artist
Ruslan Millinhton has been tattooing since 2015. While he is originally from the city of Sumy in Ukraine, he now spends most of his time in Charlotte, NC, USA. He has been doing tattoos for over 10 years. He primarily works in color and black & gray realism.

Read full bio of Ruslan Millinhton
Manjari Uppal
Manjari Uppal Beauty & Lifestyle Writer
Manjari is a beauty and lifestyle writer with over three years of experience in writing across different niches, including beauty, health, wellness, and technology. She first discovered her passion for writing in school and has since honed her craft to perfection.

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Arshiya Syeda
Arshiya SyedaCo-Editor-in-Chief
Arshiya Syeda is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of StyleCraze with 8 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer who combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care.

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Joyce Joyson
Joyce JoysonBeauty & Lifestyle Writer
Joyce Joyson is a beauty and lifestyle writer with over a year of experience crafting short-form content for the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle niches. She has a triple majors bachelor’s degree in History, Political Science, and Geography from IIS University and a master’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Kristu Jayanti College.

Read full bio of Joyce Joyson