What Does "Copium" Mean?

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Making sense of this social media slang
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The internet churns out new lingo faster than most people can learn it. “Copium” is yet another freshly minted vocab term, and you won’t find it in your pocket dictionary. Lucky for you, class is in session, and we’re here to teach you the meaning, origin, and usage of this (rather spiteful) little term, as well as some related words to keep you up-to-date on viral vernacular.

Things You Should Know

  • “Copium” is a combination of “cope” and “opium” often used to tell someone that they’re in denial about something.
  • The term was first popularized on the notorious messaging board 4chan in 2019, accompanied by images of popular meme character Pepe the Frog.
  • Since then, the term has been commonly used on Twitter to gloat over someone else’s failure or delusion, and on Twitch to mock fans of losing eSports teams.
Section 1 of 4:

Meaning and Etymology

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    In other words, it means that someone is in denial about something, or that they’re choosing to believe something that isn’t true. It’s often said to people who try to make excuses for a failure or who try to spin something that’s decidedly negative into a positive. [1]
    • Person 1: “I didn’t trip, I was just trying a new dance move.”
    • Person 2: “Dude. Copium.”
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    In online contexts, like on Twitch or Twitter, people say “cope” to gloat over someone else’s social, political, or even gaming-related failure. When combined with “opium,” the term suggests that the target is depending on a sort of “coping drug” or opiate to get them through their snafu. [2]
    • Person 1: “Sure, we lost the game, but we played hard and learned a lot!”
    • Person 2: “Looks to me like you’re on the copium.”
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Section 2 of 4:

Origin and Spread

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    4chan is a controversial message board responsible for minting a number of memes. In 2019, a 4chan user posted an image of the character Pepe the Frog (a prolific meme character) hooked to a ventilator labeled “COPIUM.” The image soon became a popular reaction image on the site. [3]
    • In 2003, the rapper Keak da Sneak released an album titled Copium. Though it didn’t popularize the term, Mr. da Sneak did use it first, as far as anyone can tell.
    • The term also appeared sparsely on 4chan around 2018, though it wasn’t widely used.
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    As election results were tallied and it became apparent that Joe Biden would win the presidential race, 4chan, Twitter, and other social network users posted the Pepe Copium image to taunt Trump supporters. Often, the meme was altered to depict Pepe wearing a red “MAGA” hat. [4]
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    Fans of competitive video games were quick to adopt the term. Most commonly, they use it as an incendiary taunt toward fans of a losing or struggling team, to suggest those fans are foolish for supporting the team. [5] Fans of video game streamers also use the term in stream chats to taunt a streamer who’s doing poorly in a game.
    • Person 1: “They’re just having a bad season, but they’ll bounce back.”
    • Person 2: “Lol. Copium.”
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Section 3 of 4:

Using “Copium”

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    Is a friend making a few too many excuses? Or maybe another online user just refuses to see things as they are. Hit them with a quick “copium” to let them know exactly what you think of their stance. [6]
    • Them: “Oh come on, the movie wasn’t that bad. I thought it had good parts.”
    • You: “That’s a whole lot of copium you got there."
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    If your favorite eSports team just secured a dramatic victory, or your favorite streamer keeps losing to the same enemy, type out a quick “:copium:” to smugly poke fun at the losing team or the poor, persistent streamer. [7]
    • Them: “You guys won this time, but that was just a fluke.”
    • You: “:copium:”
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Section 4 of 4:

Related Terms

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    Similar to “copium,” but more specifically used when someone has irrational or even unhealthy amounts of optimism about something. [8]
    • Person 1: “I don’t need to study. I’m gonna ace this test no problem.”
    • Person 2: “I don’t think hopium is enough to pass this class, bud.”
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    Often used in tandem with “cope,” “seethe” is a slightly more pointed term used to encourage another person’s anger about something. It’s often used in a smug or self-righteous tone. [9]
    • Person 1: “Why didn’t you let me cheat off your test? You’re so rude.”
    • Person 2: “Seethe about it.”
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    Sadge is a variation of Pepe the Frog used to express sadness or disappointment, much like an emoticon. [10]
    • Person 1: “Yeah, I definitely didn’t pass that test.”
    • Person 2: “Sadge.”
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    This is a Twitch emote that depicts Pepe the Frog visibly sweating with anxiety. It’s often used to express nervousness or concern.
    • Person 1: “Wait, how do we already have another test tomorrow?”
    • Person 2: “MonkaS.”
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      References

      1. ↑ https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/copium-in-gaming-what-does-copium-mean-copium-emotes-memes
      2. ↑ https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/12/cope-copium-meme-explained.html
      3. ↑ https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/copium
      4. ↑ https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/12/cope-copium-meme-explained.html
      5. ↑ https://win.gg/news/what-are-copium-and-hopium-on-twitch-we-explain-for-you/
      6. ↑ https://www.techshout.com/copium/
      7. ↑ https://win.gg/news/what-are-copium-and-hopium-on-twitch-we-explain-for-you/
      8. ↑ https://win.gg/news/what-are-copium-and-hopium-on-twitch-we-explain-for-you/
      9. ↑ https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/12/cope-copium-meme-explained.html
      1. ↑ https://arxiv.org/pdf/2108.08411.pdf

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