ghosting
GOH-sting
/ˈɡoʊ.stɪŋ/
The practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication.
It implies a total disappearance, leaving the other person with no closure.
The story behind the word. While 'ghost' is an ancient word for a spirit, the verb form for disappearing from a relationship gained mainstream popularity around 2014, largely due to the ease of ignoring digital messages.
Word relationships
- stonewalling: Stonewalling happens within a conversation; ghosting is the absence of the conversation entirely.
Commonly confused with
- orbiting: Ghosting is total silence; orbiting is silence combined with social media 'haunting'.
Word family
- ghost (verb): To suddenly stop all communication with someone.
Collocations
- get ghosted
- ghosting someone
- habitual ghosting
Example sentences
- "After three great dates, he just stopped replying; I realized I was being ghosted." A personal anecdote about a bad date.
- "Ghosting has become the default breakup method for the digital generation." A headline about dating trends. (The New York Times)
Memory hook
A ghost is invisible and silent; so is a person who ghosts you. Gone like a ghost.
When not to use
Do not use for professional contexts like 'quitting a job' unless the departure was literally unannounced and silent.
Fun facts
- The term became so popular it was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2017.
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