Background and Purpose: Quiet quitting has become prominent in organizational behavior literature, yet no consensus exists on its conceptual nature. This study aimed to conceptualize and provide an integrated definition of the phenomenon.

Methodology: Using a theoretical synthesis approach with integrative review and conceptual analysis, studies from Scopus and Web of Science (2022–2026) were retrieved, and 35 were selected after content and theoretical evaluation. The concept's evolution, conceptualization approaches, boundaries with adjacent constructs, and related theories were comparatively integrated.

Findings: Conceptualizations center on three main foci—behavioral, psychological, and work-boundary regulation—none sufficient alone, as the phenomenon cannot be reduced to fewer extra-role behaviors, psychological distancing, or boundary regulation. Their common core is a change in the extent, scope, and form of investment in the work relationship, interpreted through two logics: "withdrawal" (reduced engagement and effort) and "readjustment" (redefining engagement limits). Theoretically, social exchange, conservation of resources, boundary management, self-determination, and work identity and meaning formed complementary layers. Thus, quiet quitting is a gradual process of readjusting one's relationship with work whereby, without severing employment, investment in the work role—especially discretionary effort beyond formal requirements—becomes limited or readjusted.

Conclusion: Much of its conceptual ambiguity stems from combining components at different levels in one concept. Locating quiet quitting at the level of the individual's relationship with work links its behavioral, psychological, and contextual dimensions coherently, clarifies its boundary from adjacent constructs, and supports concept development and empirical researcا