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Meaning of elephant in the room | Babel Free

Noun CEFR C2

Definitions

A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.

idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“Near-synonyms: 800-pound gorilla, gorilla in the room, 800-pound gorilla in the room”
“There is an elephant in the room that nearly every politician and green campaigner is ignoring. It’s called population growth.”
“While the Swiss bank remained positive on the sector through 2022, the coronavirus situation remained “the elephant in the room,” he added.”

CEFR level

C2
Mastery
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.

See also

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