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
Love Is Blind's Trevor Sova is breaking his social media hiatus and addressing the major elephant in the room.
—
Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
The elephant in the room, however, is that the LZ0’s oil pump belt sits at the back of the engine and requires replacement every 200,000 miles—which in turn requires either an engine or transmission-out service that can cost upward of $3,000.
—Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The elephant in the room, for viewers if not the characters, is that at 47, Andrew Scott is too old for the fledgling sociopath that Tom Ripley is supposed to be in the first of Highsmith’s novels in the series.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
John Oates carefully sidestepped the elephant in the room on Wednesday during his keynote conversation at SXSW, even as the veteran hitmaker offered anecdotes and pearls of wisdom from his more than 50 years in the music business.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
However, there’s an elephant in the room: This promotion has a high wagering requirement of 40x.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Mark Andrews/Alamy No matter the shape, size, or price of EVs, experts say the lack of reliable public charging remains the elephant in the room that’s flattening the adoption curve.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2024
March 12: The first Oscars since ‘The Slap’ Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Academy Awards ceremony and has promised to say something about what will be a giant elephant in the room: Will Smith’s infamous smacking of Chris Rock during the 2022 telecast.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Great article on cannabis legalization, but whither the green elephant in the room?
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
The elephant in the room, however, is that the LZ0’s oil pump belt sits at the back of the engine and requires replacement every 200,000 miles—which in turn requires either an engine or transmission-out service that can cost upward of $3,000.
—Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The elephant in the room, for viewers if not the characters, is that at 47, Andrew Scott is too old for the fledgling sociopath that Tom Ripley is supposed to be in the first of Highsmith’s novels in the series.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
John Oates carefully sidestepped the elephant in the room on Wednesday during his keynote conversation at SXSW, even as the veteran hitmaker offered anecdotes and pearls of wisdom from his more than 50 years in the music business.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
However, there’s an elephant in the room: This promotion has a high wagering requirement of 40x.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Mark Andrews/Alamy No matter the shape, size, or price of EVs, experts say the lack of reliable public charging remains the elephant in the room that’s flattening the adoption curve.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2024
March 12: The first Oscars since ‘The Slap’ Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Academy Awards ceremony and has promised to say something about what will be a giant elephant in the room: Will Smith’s infamous smacking of Chris Rock during the 2022 telecast.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Great article on cannabis legalization, but whither the green elephant in the room?
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
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 25 Apr. 2024.
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