out of sight out of mind

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

something that is not visible or present is easily forgotten or neglected regardless of its continued existence or importance; the tendency to stop worrying about a problem once it is no longer immediately apparent; in environmental contexts the phrase captures the dynamic by which pollutants buried in landfills, discharged to remote water bodies, or emitted invisibly into the atmosphere are ignored by the public and policymakers until a visible crisis such as a contaminated water supply or a dead zone forces them back into attention