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the elephant in the room

an obvious problem everyone avoids mentioning

In Headline Expressions

In more detail

(idiom) an obvious problem or difficult topic that people avoid discussing because it makes them uncomfortable

Examples

• Everyone knew about the company's financial problems, but it was the elephant in the room that nobody wanted to talk about.

How to use the elephant in the room

This idiom describes a conspicuous problem or tension that everyone is aware of but reluctant to discuss openly, typically because it is emotionally charged, controversial, or socially awkward. It emphasizes willful avoidance of an obvious issue rather than mere oversight. The phrase is commonly used to call attention to this uncomfortable dynamic, often to prompt acknowledgment or dialogue.

Common phrases

• address the elephant in the room
• ignore the elephant in the room
• acknowledge the elephant in the room
• there's an elephant in the room
• the proverbial elephant in the room

Synonyms

the unspoken issue · the uncomfortable truth · the taboo subject · the pink elephant

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use this phrase to mean simply a problem that exists, forgetting that it specifically implies a problem people are deliberately avoiding or ignoring.

Nearby in Headline Expressions

move the goalposts, a hard sell, back to the drawing board, a perfect storm, a double-edged sword, the writing on the wall

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained