quiet quitting

1 of 2

noun

: the practice of doing the minimum amount of work required for one's job

Quiet quitting refers to doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. As such, it is something of a misnomer, since the worker doesn't actually leave their position and continues to collect a salary.

—Greg Daugherty

I recently learned about this term called quiet quitting, where you're not outright quitting your job, but you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.

—Zaid Khan (@zaidleppelin), on TikTok

For many employees, quiet quitting is a form of setting boundaries in a professional context.

—Megan Prevost

In schools—especially those with unionized teachers—quiet quitting may sound a lot like the "work to rule" concept when employees stick to official working rules and hours exactly to the letter.

—Elizabeth Heubeck

quiet quitting

2 of 2

present participle of quiet quit

Examples of quiet quitting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After a layoff, employee trust ebbs, burnout can increase and quiet quitting can become an attractive option for many workers. —Mark C. Perna, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

From chronic struggles with burnout to a pragmatic, even skeptical take on how to lead their careers, the generation that entered the workforce during the age of quiet quitting has come to exemplify the quarter-life crisis. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2025

While the phenomenon may worry some managers, the authors suggest ways to curb quiet quitting. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025

Conclusion Soft quitting, quiet quitting, and disengagement all reflect a deeper need for balance, fairness, and meaningful work in today’s workplace. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

2022, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quiet quitting

• babysitting
• counterfeiting
• retrofitting
• unremitting
• acquitting
• admitting
• befitting
• committing
• emitting
• omitting
• outfitting
• outwitting