gaslighting at work
/ˈɡæslаɪtɪŋ æt wɜːrk/
CommonWhen a manager or coworker makes you question your memory, perception, or reality to avoid accountability.
The 'at work' qualifier is common online because the base term 'gaslighting' has been diluted to mean any disagreement. The compound specifically grounds it in professional power dynamics.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | my manager told me i'd be promoted in q1. now it's q3 and she's acting like that conversation never happened. gaslighting at work is real | A promise was made and is now being denied, making the speaker question whether the conversation occurred. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | he told the whole team i volunteered for that project. i didn't. and now i look ungrateful for pushing back. gaslighting | A false narrative was created, and correcting it makes the speaker look bad rather than the person who lied. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | every time i bring up the hostile comment she made in that meeting, my manager says i misunderstood. i didn't misunderstand anything | Reframing a clear incident as a misunderstanding to avoid accountability. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | the gaslighting at my last job was so bad i genuinely started thinking i was the problem. took months to unlearn that | Sustained manipulation caused real psychological harm that outlasted the job. | tiktok, 2023 |
| 05 | he said 'i think you're being a little sensitive' after i reported it to HR. textbook gaslighting at work | Labeling an emotional response as oversensitivity to delegitimize a serious complaint. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- A manager denies a conversation happened that you both know took place.
- Your concerns get reframed as personal sensitivity to avoid addressing the actual issue.
- You're made to feel like your perception of an unfair situation is wrong or irrational.
- Someone in authority revises history to make themselves look better at your expense.
Do not use it when
- You and a coworker just remember the same meeting differently.
- Your manager gave feedback you disagreed with.
- Someone said something rude once.Use “microaggression” instead.
Variations and related forms
Gaslighting at work vs tone-policing
gaslighting at work
Gaslighting denies the reality of what happened or makes you question your perception.
tone-policing
Tone-policing accepts something happened but redirects to how you're expressing it.
Origin and context
Derived from 'gaslighting', a term rooted in the 1944 film Gaslight where a husband manipulates his wife into questioning her sanity. The workplace-specific phrase became widespread in the 2020s as toxic workplace discourse expanded on social media.
- First seen
- 2020s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/gaslighting-at-work