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
According to Rolling Stone and People, during her opening night, DeGeneres took the opportunity to address the elephant in the room: Her absence from the limelight in recent years.
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Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 4 July 2024
But despite the absence of Xi, China would have been the elephant in the room throughout Putin and Kim’s meeting.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 23 June 2024
That’s the elephant in the room that city leaders have refused to acknowledge.
—Tim Gardner, The Mercury News, 22 June 2024
OpenAI, at last Apple waited one hour and seven minutes into its keynote address to mention the elephant in the room: generative artificial intelligence.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for elephant in the room 
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 4 July 2024
But despite the absence of Xi, China would have been the elephant in the room throughout Putin and Kim’s meeting.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 23 June 2024
That’s the elephant in the room that city leaders have refused to acknowledge.
—Tim Gardner, The Mercury News, 22 June 2024
OpenAI, at last Apple waited one hour and seven minutes into its keynote address to mention the elephant in the room: generative artificial intelligence.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for elephant in the room
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elephant in the room.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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 7 Jul. 2024.
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