Phrase guide

quiet cracking

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The decline in an employee's sense of well-being and motivation in a job.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • 2025 Caroline Castrillon, "7 ‘Quiet Cracking’ Behaviors That Are Killing Productivity," Forbes, 18 May 2025; updated 25 May 2025. Unlike "quiet quitting," where employees deliberately set boundaries by doing the minimum required, quiet cracking represents persistent workplace unhappiness that gradually leads to decreased performance, diminished productivity, and resignation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

quiet + cracking, on the model of quiet quitting.