What is the meaning of the phrase “elephant in the room”?

The phrase “elephant in the room” is used to mean a situation in which an obvious truth is being ignored and not acknowledged by a group of people in a room. This is usually because acknowledging that obvious truth would be too awkward or could make some people in the room uncomfortable.

Example of “elephant in the room” in a sentence:

"When former President Bill Clinton said that his
marriage has always been his top priority, the 
reporters chose to ignore the elephant in the room
regarding his affair with Monica Lewinsky."

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