'Slow fade' is worse than ghosting in relationships

‘Slow fade’ is worse than ghosting in relationships (Photo: Recraft)

Dating in 2025 has given rise to a new heartbreak tactic: the “slow fade,” a gradual withdrawal of communication and enthusiasm that ends a relationship without a definitive break. Rather than ghosting someone outright, the slow fade sees texts grow sparse, plans vanish, and emotional investment ebb, until the connection quietly dies.

According to Natassia Miller, an American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counsellors and Therapists (ASSECT)-certified sexologist and relationship expert, “they’re still technically there, but their presence feels increasingly hollow. They gradually withdraw effort, making you question whether it is you or the relationship.”