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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As for work and meaning, Amodei does acknowledge what seems to be on everyone’s mind, the elephant in the room: with AI so capable, what will humans do? —John Werner, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 And, yes, there’s an AI-sized elephant in the room right now, and no shortage of talk about how AI is ushering in a new era for robotics. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024 But the elephant in the room is Russia’s war in Ukraine, which the Kazan Declaration stresses must be resolved by diplomatic means in accordance with the principles of the U.N. Charter and hints at possibilities for mediation. —Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2024 There is an elephant in the room of the 2024 edition of the Fortune 500 Europe. —Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 23 Oct. 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

Dictionary Entries Near elephant in the room

elephantine tortoise

elephant in the room

elephant iron

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Elephant in the room.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20in%20the%20room. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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