baby elephant in the room

noun

An obvious but mostly inconsequential issue.

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Meanings

nounbaby elephant in the room (plural baby elephants in the room)

plural baby elephants in the room

  1. idiomaticAn obvious but mostly inconsequential issue.

Origin

baby + elephant in the room

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

baby elephant in the room. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baby%20elephant%20in%20the%20room

MLA

“baby elephant in the room.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baby%20elephant%20in%20the%20room. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “baby elephant in the room,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baby%20elephant%20in%20the%20room.

Source: baby elephant in the room on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.