hopium

/ˈhoʊpiəm/

Common

Hope mixed with delusion. Clinging to an outcome that is probably not going to happen.

Can be affectionate when directed at yourself or your own group. Can be cruel when directed at someone else's wishful thinking.

Real-world examples4 examples

#	Example	What it means	Source
01	bro is fully on hopium thinking they'll drop the album this year	The person has no real reason to believe this, they just want it to happen.	x, 2023
02	I know it's hopium but what if they actually patch it this update	The person knows it probably will not happen but cannot stop hoping.	reddit, 2024
03	the hopium in these replies is sending me	People in the replies are deeply and hilariously delusional.	x, 2023
04	every year we say 'this is our year' and every year it's just hopium	The group has a pattern of unfounded optimism that never pays off.	reddit, 2023

Use it when

A fan base keeps predicting a win or comeback that never comes.
Someone keeps saying a product, game, or person will turn things around with no real evidence.
You want to playfully call out your own wishful thinking.

Hopium is future-facing. You want something to happen that probably will not.

Copium is backward-facing. You refuse to accept something bad that already happened.

Portmanteau of 'hope' and 'opium'. Emerged in online communities alongside copium, used heavily in fandom, crypto, and sports discussion.

Use this stable URL to reference the entry.

https://slang.fyi/hopium

Updated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0