Caspering

What does caspering mean when dating?

Ending a relationship in a friendly, but confusing way

Caspering is when a person attempts to end a relationship but is too friendly, which leads to confusion and prolongs the break-up. The term comes from Casper, the friendly cartoon ghost.

Where did caspering come from?

Caspering has been performed for years, but it wasn't until 2019 that it was labeled as such by a "HelloGiggles" article written by Gabi Conti. The trend is a friendlier version of "ghosting" that typically ends up being crueler.

When someone ghosts a person after dating them, they vanish like a ghost without a proper conclusion to the relationship. Although this is difficult for the ghosted person to experience, they at least know the ghoster's intentions.

What does caspering look like?

With caspering, the person breaking up is too nice to break up and instead leads on the person and confuses them. They may take longer to reply to messages, make plans but not follow through, and avoid conversations about the relationship's future.

They know they want to be done with the relationship, but they want to avoid discussing it. But they also don't want to ghost the other person. This approach messes with the mind of the caspered individual because they don't the state of the relationship and how to proceed with all of the mixed signals.

How to stop caspering

The best way to stop caspering is to be honest and clear with your partner about your intentions for the relationship. If you cannot get clarity or a commitment from them, it's time to move on.

Example

Jill was caspering Pete so he finally DM'd her and she came clean about getting back together with her ex

Caspering may seem nice but can be cruel

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Updated September 1, 2021

Caspering definition by Slang.net

This page explains what the slang term "Caspering" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.

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