Curving is rejecting someone gently and indirectly, dodging their interest with vague responses instead of clearly saying no.
Curving is the art of the soft rejection. Rather than telling someone you are not interested, you deflect. Replies come late, stay short, and never quite shut the door.
The curver wants to let the person down easy, or to avoid an awkward conversation, so they send mixed signals instead of a clear no.
It differs from ghosting because contact does not fully stop. The curved person still gets responses, just lukewarm ones that keep them guessing.
The trouble is that vagueness can read as hope. Someone being curved may keep trying, since they are never actually told the answer is no.
Kindness here is often clarity. A direct but polite no usually respects the other person more than a slow drip of half answers.