What Does Copium Mean? – Definition, Origin, and Examples

November 13, 2023

“Copium” is an internet slang term derived from a blend of “cope” and “opium.” “Cope” refers to dealing with a difficult situation or trying to feel better, while “opium” is an addictive drug used for its soothing effects. The term “copium” is often used in a mocking or ridiculing context, implying that someone is unwilling to admit they are wrong or have faced defeat. Instead, they are perceived as clinging to anything that might make them feel better or distract from their loss.

Where does the term “Copium” come from?

It is believed that the phrase “Copium” started on 4chan, but it was recently popularized as a phrase in Twitch chat. Whenever someone is lying to themselves on stream, chat would spam “copium” to call them out on it. After Twitch chat started using the word, it began to spread to tiktok, twitter, and mainstream media.

What does “Copium” mean on Twitch?

When twitch chat spams the word “copium” they’re essentially saying that someone is lying to themselves to feel better about a certain situation. This usually happens when someone messes up, but refuses to admit that they are wrong. For example, if someone performs poorly on a team online game and blames it on their teammates instead, their chat would spam “copium”.

Examples of Copium

The slang word “compium” is most commonly used online, specifically on Twitch streams. The following are some examples of when you would see a twitch chat spam “compium”

• If a twitch streamer performed very poorly in a team game like league of legends or call of duty and then blames it on everyone but themselves.
• If a cryptocurrency believer loses a bunch of money on a recent bitcoin dip and starts acting like the market is wrong and they’re right.
• If a sports fan starts blaming a loss on other factors like weather, corrupt referees, and bad luck.

Copium Memes

The slang word “copium” has also become a meme and has many images to be used as memes. The most common copium meme has a pepe with a mask attached to a gas tank that has “copium” written on it. The idea behind this image is that the pepe is “inhaling that copium”, basically insinuating that the person is coping.

Popularity of Copium

The phrase “copium” has spread far across the internet, beyond just 4chan and Twitch. You can now see the word commonly used as a reply on tiktok comments as well as twitter tweets. Although the phrase has spread to other online communities, it is still most commonly used on Twitch.