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There's an academic tradition called the 'Last Lecture.' Hypothetically, if you knew you were going to die and you had one last lecture, what would you say to your students? Well, for me, there's an elephant in the room. And the elephant in the room, for me, it wasn't hypothetical.
Randy Pausch

Meaning of "elephant in the room" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

elephant in the room play
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WHAT DOES ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM MEAN IN ENGLISH?

elephant in the room

Elephant in the room

"Elephant in the room" is an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed. The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss. It is based on the idea that an elephant in a room would be impossible to overlook; thus, people in the room who pretend the elephant is not there have chosen to avoid dealing with the looming big issue.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

elenchi
elenchic
elenchus
elenctic
eleoptene
elephant
elephant bird
elephant fish
elephant foot
elephant grass
elephant gun
elephant seal
elephant shrew
elephant´s-ear
elephant´s-foot
elephantiasic
elephantiasis
elephantine
elephantoid
elephants

WORDS THAT END LIKE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

bathroom
breakfast room
chat room
control room
dining room
double room
dressing room
emergency room
family room
guest room
hotel room
living room
locker room
powder room
press room
shower room
single room
sitting room
tea room
utility room
waiting room

Synonyms and antonyms of elephant in the room in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «elephant in the room» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Find out the translation of elephant in the room to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of elephant in the room from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «elephant in the room» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

大象在房间里
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

elefante en la habitación
570 millions of speakers

English

elephant in the room
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

कमरे में हाथी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الفيل في الغرفة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

слон в комнате
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

elefante na sala
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

রুম এ হাতি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

éléphant dans la pièce
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Gajah di dalam bilik
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Elefant im Raum
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

部屋の中の象
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

방에있는 코끼리
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Gajah ing kamar
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

con voi trong phòng
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

அறையில் யானை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

खोलीत हत्ती
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Fil odasında
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

elefante nella stanza
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Słoń w pokoju
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

слон в кімнаті
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

elefant în cameră
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ελέφαντας στο δωμάτιο
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

olifant in die kamer
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

elefanten i rummet
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

elefant i rommet
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of elephant in the room

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM»

The term «elephant in the room» is very widely used and occupies the 7.245 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
97
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «elephant in the room» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of elephant in the room
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «elephant in the room».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «elephant in the room» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «elephant in the room» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about elephant in the room

EXAMPLES

4 QUOTES WITH «ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word elephant in the room.
1
Ani DiFranco
Patriarchy is like the elephant in the room that we don't talk about, but how could it not affect the planet radically when it's the superstructure of human society.
2
Josh Homme
By the time you get to your sixth record, some of the benefits of being in a band are grander than ever, but some of the obstacles are just massive. You deal with these lateral subjects, and all that is left is the elephant in the room.
3
Randy Pausch
There's an academic tradition called the 'Last Lecture.' Hypothetically, if you knew you were going to die and you had one last lecture, what would you say to your students? Well, for me, there's an elephant in the room. And the elephant in the room, for me, it wasn't hypothetical.
4
Michael Shannon
Let's point out the elephant in the room: Actor bands are not notoriously successful enterprises. I can't think of any.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM»

Discover the use of elephant in the room in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to elephant in the room and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Elephant in the Room: How Relationships Make or Break the ...
Once you understand the basics of her lens and tools and work with them, they will grow into a fundamental element of your leadership practice. This is a big claim.
Diana McLain Smith, 2011
2
The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday L
An examination of the social and political underpinnings of silence, denial, and keeping "open secrets" draws on examples from newspapers, comedy shows, novels, children's stories, and film to illustrate that conspiracies of silence exist ...
Eviatar Zerubavel, 2006
3
The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians, and ...
Praise for The Elephant in the Room "This funny, sobering, smart book reminds Republicans that having beliefs isn't good enough.
Ryan Sager, 2006
4
The Elephant in the Room : Silence and Denial in Everyday
Drawing on examples from newspapers and comedy shows to novels, children's stories, and film, the book travels back and forth across different levels of social life, and from everyday moments to large-scale historical events.
Eviatar Zerubavel Board of Governors Professor of Sociology and Director of the Graduate program Rutgers University, 2006
5
The Elephant in the Room: Sharing the Secrets for Pursuing
In the spirit of TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, travel with the main character on an allegorical journey toward realizing your dreams & securing your financial future.
Ed Baker, 2007
6
The Elephant in the Room: Practical Advice When the ...
In "The Elephant in the Room: Practical Advice When the Diagnosis Is Cancer, " author Bob Riter helps people sort out all of the issues involved with a cancer diagnosis.This collection of previously published columns addresses an array of ...
Bob Riter, 2011
7
The Elephant in the Room: Sharing the Secrets for Pursuing
Engaging and informative, The Elephant in the Room follows the fictional weekly meetings—based on the real-world experiences of financial advisors and employees from First Command Financial Planning—between Michael and Aunt Katherine as ...
Barry Bridger, 2009
8
The Elephant in the Room: Stories About Cancer Patients and ...
This book brings new ideas to the literature linking design, technology and sustainability.
Jonathan Waxman, 2011
9
The Elephant in the Room: Torah, Wisdom, and Inspiration for ...
The volume you are holding in your hands highlightssome of the most important issues in our lives today topics that are rarelydiscussed, often to our detriment.The chapters within are funny, moving, thought-provoking, and challenging.They ...
Ron Yitzchok Eisenman, 2012
10
The Elephant in the Room
A story of secrets, warped friendships and addiction, and how families guard their secrets to keep up appearances with disastrous consequences.
Maya Fowler, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term elephant in the room is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Earnings Is The Elephant in the Room: Purves
Weeden & Co. Chief Global Strategist Michael Purves discusses various events impacting U.S. markets and his subsequent thoughts on ... «Bloomberg, Jul 15»
2
Brisbane's new theatre boom and the Turquoise Elephant in the room
'Sometimes you have to laugh to survive': Griffin award winner Stephen Carleton. Photograph: Brett Boardman Photography/Griffin theatre. «The Guardian, Jul 15»
3
For social workers, religion is the elephant in the room
"It's that big elephant in the room," said Holly Oxhandler, Ph.D., assistant professor in Baylor's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. «ConsumerAffairs, Jul 15»
4
Online Tux Rentals Are The Elephant In The Room For Men's …
Men's Wearhouse blamed a recent decline in tux rentals on falling marriage rates and fewer “traditional weddings.” But with online competitors ... «BuzzFeed News, Jul 15»
5
The elephants in the room at Presidio pipeline meeting
Smith referred to the “elephant in the room” – that is, the discussion of eminent domain, which he stressed, would only be used as a last resort. «Bigbendnow, Jul 15»
6
Big Brother Season 17 Episode Six: The Elephant in the Room
It's a new week, new HOHs and new target in the Big Brother house. After the houseguests eliminated Jace, there seemed to be a pretty clear ... «CBS Local, Jul 15»
7
Greece debt crisis: China is the real elephant in the room
Greece might be the word but China is what Australian investors should be watching and listening to this week.China is a much more ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Jul 15»
8
Protest announced against 'elephant in the room' budget
“However, the real 'elephant in the room' is the true human cost of benefits sanctions and cuts to essential services. “We know that the these ... «Milton Keynes Citizen, Jul 15»
9
'The View' Is in Big Trouble, and Whoopi's Angry: Here's How to Fix It
Whoopi turned to the audience and said, “There's an elephant in the room, and I just tapped it on the shoulder.” Her anger was scarcely ... «Yahoo News, Jul 15»
10
The exploration Elephant in the room
It calls it “Tackling the Crisis in Mineral Exploration” and, as you might guess, it deals with the elephant in the room, which is the lack of ... «Mineweb, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Elephant in the room [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/elephant-in-the-room>. Apr 2024 ».
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