quiet quitting
/ˈkwaɪət ˈkwɪtɪŋ/
Very CommonDoing only what your job requires and nothing more, without actually quitting.
Often framed as a form of boundary-setting or self-preservation, not laziness. The term is polarizing: some see it as healthy, others see it as disengagement.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I'm not quitting, I'm just quiet quitting. 5pm laptop closed. Done. | The person has drawn a hard line at the end of their shift and is no longer doing extra work. | tiktok, 2022 |
| 02 | Been quiet quitting for 3 months. My mental health has never been better. | The person reduced their work effort and found it improved their wellbeing. | reddit, 2022 |
| 03 | My manager wants me to lead the new project for free. Nah. Quiet quitting era. | Declining unpaid extra responsibility by adopting a minimum-effort posture. | x, 2022 |
| 04 | quiet quitting isn't lazy. it's just not giving a company free labor. | Defending the practice as a reasonable response to exploitation. | tiktok, 2022 |
Use it when
- Someone stops going above and beyond at work without resigning.
- Someone sets firm work-life boundaries and refuses extra tasks.
- Describing the attitude of doing the bare minimum required by your role.
- Pushing back against hustle culture or unpaid labor expectations.
Do not use it when
- Someone actually quits or resigns.Use “quitting” instead.
- Someone is being lazy or missing their actual job responsibilities.
- Someone is actively looking for a new job.Use “career-cushioning” instead.
Variations and related forms
Quiet quitting vs loud quitting
quiet quitting
Quiet quitting is staying in the job but mentally checking out and doing the minimum.
VS
loud-quitting
Loud quitting is visibly, vocally disengaging or making your dissatisfaction known publicly.
Origin and context
Popularized on TikTok in mid-2022 by creator @zkchillin (Zaid Khan), though the concept of doing only what a job requires is much older. The term spread globally after being covered by major news outlets.
- First seen
- 2022
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/quiet-quittingUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0