elephant in the room
noun phrase
: an obvious major problem or issue that people avoid discussing or acknowledging
Examples of elephant in the room in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dabi described debt—both a country’s existing national debt and climate finance taking the form of new debt—as the elephant in the room at COP.
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Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2024
After the break, the panel was giving Cyrus her flowers by praising her popularity throughout the industry, when Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg addressed the elephant in the room, leading to one of the evening's funniest moments.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Then there’s the generative AI elephant in the room.
—Sergii Denysenko, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Before long, the group begins to whisper more explicitly about the elephant in the room.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
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Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2024
After the break, the panel was giving Cyrus her flowers by praising her popularity throughout the industry, when Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg addressed the elephant in the room, leading to one of the evening's funniest moments.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Then there’s the generative AI elephant in the room.
—Sergii Denysenko, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Before long, the group begins to whisper more explicitly about the elephant in the room.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elephant in the room
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Cite this Entry
“Elephant in the room.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20in%20the%20room. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
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