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

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During Mars retrograde, finding a resolution requires facing the elephant in the room. —

USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024 As the holidays approach, these are the two competing worldviews that will be the proverbial elephant in the room as people gather for Thanksgiving, Christmas and special holiday events. —

Lauren Green, Fox News, 17 Nov. 2024 The elephant in the room at the final COP29 meeting was the global military industrial complex. —

Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024 The elephant in the room: the recent, crushingly decisive reelection of Donald Trump and his running mate, shadow money-adjacent buffoon J.D. Vance, who surprisingly has art world ties of his own. —

Helen Holmes, ARTnews.com, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for elephant in the room

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of elephant in the room was in 1985

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Elephant in the room.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20in%20the%20room. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.

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