word
Ghosting
Ending a relationship by disappearing without explanation.
Origin
The verb in this sense emerged in the mid-2010s alongside dating apps that made disappearing both easy and consequence-free. Earlier slang ('blowing off', 'going dark') didn't capture the specific cruelty of abrupt, unexplained silence after intimacy.
Modern usage
Standard vocabulary in dating and increasingly in friendship and the workplace. 'Job ghosting' โ candidates or hiring managers going silent mid-process โ is now common usage.
In the wild
He ghosted me after the third date.โ common usage
Tags
dating
avoidance
modern