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

In every interview, Johnson addressed the elephant in the room. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

That elephant in the room shaped, in some ways, the relationship between Saban and Kiffin, according to those around the program. — John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026

The other elephant in the room is that money matters will feel more urgent this month, if not like a bit of a problem. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026

Even knowing that, the competition has not found a simple way to match the elephant in the room. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for elephant in the room

• anteroom
• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume