elephant in the room
Americanidiom
Etymology
Origin of elephant in the room
First recorded in 1935–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Why do so few people talk about the elephant in the room?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
When it comes to sharing his music, especially the more vulnerable tracks, Wolfhard knows his “Stranger Things” fame is the elephant in the room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
On Monday, the climate-vulnerable Alliance of Small Island States said countries could not keep ignoring "the elephant in the room" and warned that anything short of winding down fossil fuels was "papering over the cracks".
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
Perhaps universities will address the elephant in the room: Student cheating is rampant, and it is the fault of the faculty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
I want us to have history, something longer than the small window of time we’re actually sharing, with an even longer future, but the dying elephant in the room crushes me.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
