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white elephant

 

Definitions from WordNet

Noun white elephant has 2 senses
  1. white elephant - a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive
    --1 is a kind of
    possession
  2. white elephant - albinic Indian elephant; rare and sometimes venerated in east Asia
    --2 is a kind of
    Indian elephant, Elephas maximus

Definitions from the Web

White Elephant

Part of Speech: Noun

Senses:

1. A white elephant refers to a rare and valuable possession that becomes burdensome or costly to maintain, often discouraging its use or disposal.

- The antique piano inherited by Samantha turned out to be a white elephant, as it required constant repairs and occupied too much space in her living room.

2. In common usage, a white elephant represents a costly venture, project, or responsibility that has little or no return on investment or is difficult to manage.

- The construction of the extravagant government building proved to be a white elephant, draining the budget without yielding any significant benefits.

3. White elephant can also refer to an unwanted or burdensome gift received during a gift exchange or secret Santa event.

- Paul ended up with a white elephant gift, a tacky sweater that didn't fit him, at their office holiday party.

Part of Speech: Adjective

Sense:

1. Describing something as white elephant means it is large, extravagant, or ostentatious but serves little practical purpose or value.

- The mansion they inherited was nothing but a white elephant, with its vast rooms rarely used by the small family.

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