What exactly is breadcrumbing?

[Anonymous]

[DaveJord]

Well in general they are teasers or manipulators.

Breadcrumbing examples:
- Texting, emailing, or direct messaging (DMing) every so often but not responding to requests to spend time together.
- Commenting on social media posts but not engaging in direct communication.
- Being attentive and flirty in person but not making a move to hang out again.

They are a person that not genuinely interested, for some reason or another display just enough interest in you to make you thing WTF? Or just enough interest to say they are maintaining a interest without really being interested. Someone who politely listens to you talk and askes questions... but never really gives you an details or address your question when asked in return. At the end of the conversation you feel like it was a one sided conversation were talked a lot about yourself and got nothing in return.

Why do they do this? I have no idea... I usually lose interest fast and move on... so I never find out why.

[Mango-man]

If I remember correctly it should be when someone gives you just as little attention as possible only to keep you follow "breadcrumbs" after them but never enough to make you feel connected or "official". Like of they are keeping someone as backup option and don't want them to leave but don't want to spend too much time on them.

[Anonymous]

Bread crumbing is when someone gives you JUST enough to keep you interested. They're not putting in any real effort, but they text you here and there or suggest hanging out every once in a while to keep you on the hook. They're basically doing the bare minimum to keep you around.

[eblehe]

To add to the other answer, it is also one of the steps before ghosting xd

[Slartybartfast]

A friend described it as "you know when you message a women and they give those one word replies?' "it's because they have dozens of guys on the hook and want to have options so they string you along for months making you feel like dirt just in case "

[CallmeTheKnight]

Leading on. Bullshitting. Teasing. Making promises and not keep them, but continue to promise to make up for it.
You know... Basically just bullshitting

[Anonymous]

When women flirt. They're not usually interested. But they want you to be interested. You're practice, a game for them to keep their talons sharpened until the come across they actually want. So they show you just enough interest to keep you thinking they are. That's breadcrumbing.

[Waldoe]

old bread, placed in the oven to dry it out at a low heat, then crumbled into small pieces like Crumbs...

[OddBeMe]

Hansel and Gretaling.