It feels like the dating world gets more complicated as every second ticks by.

From ‘summer shading’ to ‘groundhogging’ and ‘kittenfishing’, there is a new dating trend to watch out for every other week. And we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a new romantic phenomenon to add to that list: ghostlighting.

A hideous mix of ghosting and gaslighting, this latest iteration is an awful concoction of two of the worst dating movements in the history of romance: ghosting, the process of completely disappearing without explanation after building a romantic connection with someone; and gaslighting, a form of emotional abuse or manipulation when someone distorts what someone thinks and tries to make them feel delusional.

So, what happens when the two are blended?

‘Ghostlighting’ is a combination of 2 of our least favourite dating behaviours