Lifestyle Breadcrumbing Is Way Worse Than Ghosting—and Here's How to Avoid It By Brandi Fowler Brandi Fowler Instagram Website In addition to her extensive fashion, lifestyle, and beauty coverage for InStyle, Brandi has worked as a writer and editor for E! Online, a fashion and lifestyle writer for Hello! US, an editor/on-camera host for AOL, contributing writer and red carpet correspondent for Variety and Cosmopolitan, and has also served as the Hollywood correspondent for Australia's 9News' TheFIX. Her editorial features can also be found on Vitruvi, MTV News, Madame Noire, Hello Beautiful and more covering fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and entertainment news. Her articles have been syndicated by the likes of Health, Marie Claire, Essence, Shape, Yahoo!, People, and more. InStyle's editorial guidelines Updated on February 11, 2017 @ 03:00PM Pin Share Tweet Email Photo: Getty Are you in a situation where it feels like the person you're dating (or want to date) is stringing you along? You might be exactly right. Just when Merriam-Webster added a definition for 'ghosting' to its dictionaries, there's a new term millennials are using in the dating world that needs to be broken down: breadcrumbing. A fate that's apparently way worse than the object of your affection disappearing on a whim. So, what is it exactly? The act of breadcrumbing is when someone gives you just enough attention to make it look like they're still interested ... when actually all hope is lost, according to Bustle. For example, random texts asking 'how are you?' from the person you're interested in or any type of once-monthly/bi-weekly type of communication that keeps you wanting more. While this behavior has been around for as long as we can remember, people calling it 'breadcrumbing' is something new entirely. It even started getting an increasing number of mentions on Twitter earlier this year as the phrase caught on and more and more people realized that they had fallen victim to it. Age Ain’t Nothin’ but a Number: Betty White Is Still Up for Dating at 94 VIDEO: I'm Obsessed: LuMee's LED Light Phone Case So, what can you do to prevent being a victim of breadcrumbing? Now that you know what it is—don't let it happen to you. If someone appears to be trying to walk out of your life ... let them walk ... and don't follow those breadcrumbs they're leaving behind.