quiet quitting
Bare minimum work
Quiet quitting is doing the minimum requirements of a job without going above and beyond—meeting expectations but refusing unpaid overtime, extra projects, or emotional investment in the company.
The term emerged around 2022 to describe workers mentally checking out while remaining employed: I'm not quitting, I'm just quiet quitting—they get exactly what they pay for.
Despite the name, it's less about quitting than about rejecting hustle culture.
Absence of feeling
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- indifferenceLack of interest
- disconnectedSeparated from a source
passivity · uninvested · coasting · autopilot · phoning it in · tuned out · disinterest · emotional distance
State of utter depletion
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- fatigueWeariness from prolonged exertion
- demoralizationLoss of confidence and hope
drained · frustration · cynicism · overwork · weariness · disillusionment · resentment · depleted
Capacity to withstand force
- boundariesLines marking separation
- pushbackResistance to something proposed
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
- work-to-ruleProtest through strict compliance
refusal · defiance · rejection · opting out · saying no · labor action · unionization
Lines marking separation
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- self-careMaintaining personal wellbeing
- personal lifeOne's non-professional existence
- family timeShared household leisure
hobbies · rest · wellness · mental health · unplugging · off the clock · vacation · downtime
Spreading quickly online
- TikTokShort-form video service
- Gen ZPost-millennial demographic cohort
- millennialConcerning thousand-year cycles
- social mediaOnline content-sharing platforms
hashtag · Great Resignation · antiwork · labor movement · generational shift · remote work · media coverage
apathy
Absence of feeling
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- indifferenceLack of interest
disconnected · passivity · uninvested · coasting · autopilot · phoning it in · tuned out · disinterest · emotional distance · numbness
exhaustion
State of utter depletion
demoralization · drained · frustration · cynicism · overwork · weariness · disillusionment · resentment · depleted · running on empty
resistance
Capacity to withstand force
- boundariesLines marking separation
- pushbackResistance to something proposed
- noncomplianceFailure to follow requirements
work-to-rule · refusal · defiance · rejection · opting out · saying no · labor action · unionization
boundaries
Lines marking separation
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- self-careMaintaining personal wellbeing
- personal lifeOne's non-professional existence
family time · hobbies · rest · wellness · mental health · unplugging · off the clock · vacation · downtime · decompression
viral
Spreading quickly online
- TikTokShort-form video service
- Gen ZPost-millennial demographic cohort
- millennialConcerning thousand-year cycles
social media · hashtag · Great Resignation · antiwork · labor movement · generational shift · remote work · media coverage
- workplacehours, cubicle, desk job, holiday party, desk
- workforceworkers, employee, employees, labor force, employer
- office jargonsynergy, circle back, touch base, deep dive, action item
- work-life balancework hours, time off, vacation, weekends, remote work
- Modern Trendscancel culture, doom scrolling, doomscrolling, echo chambers, fake news
- 2020sCOVID-19, pandemic, vaccine, lockdown, January 6th
quiet quittinghustle culture
Celebrating relentless career ambition
going above and beyond · workaholism · grinding · overachieving · overachievement
quiet quittingwalking out
Leaving suddenly, often angrily
rage quitting · dramatic exit · two weeks notice · giving notice · burning bridges
quiet, quit, quietly, quitting, quietness, quits, quitter, quietism, quitted