hopium

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Blend of hope +‎ opium, as though it were a drug; likely modelled after copium; regarding the surface analysis as hope +‎ -ium, see copium § Etymology.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈhəʊ.pi.əm/
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈhoʊ.pi.əm/
  • Rhymes: -əʊpiəm

Noun

hopium (uncountable)

  1. (colloquial, derogatory) A clinging to unreasonable or unfounded hopes.
    • 2016, Tracy Schorn, Leave a Cheater, Gain a Life: The Chump Lady's Survival Guide‎[1], Hachette, →ISBN:
      Hopium can make you see potential in the grimmest set of circumstances.
    • 2020, Jack Adam Weber, Carolyn Baker, Climate Cure: Heal Yourself to Heal the Planet‎[2], Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN:
      This way, we might avoid depression, panic, denial, and hopium for good or bad news, any of which renders us more unrealistic, unprepared, and unwell.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:hopium.

Usage notes

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.