copious

American  

[koh-pee-uhs] / ˈkoʊ pi əs /

adjective

1. large in quantity or number; abundant; plentiful.

   copious amounts of food.

   Synonyms:

   bountiful

   Antonyms:

   scarce, scanty

2. having or yielding an abundant supply.

   a copious larder;

   a copious harvest.

3. exhibiting abundance or fullness, as of thoughts or words.

   Antonyms:

   meager

---

copious British  

/ ˈkəʊpɪəs /

adjective

1. abundant; extensive in quantity

2. having or providing an abundant supply

3. full of words, ideas, etc; profuse

---

Related Words

See ample.

Other Word Forms

• copiosity
  noun
• copiously
  adverb
• copiousness
  noun
• overcopious
  adjective
• overcopiously
  adverb
• overcopiousness
  noun
• uncopious
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of copious

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin cōpiōsus “plentiful, rich,” from cōpi(a) “wealth” (from co- co- + op(s) “plenty, power, support” + -ia -ia ) + -ōsus -ous

Explanation

If you have a copious amount of something, you have a lot of it. If you take copious notes, you'll do well when it comes time for review sessions — unless you can't read your own handwriting. Copious comes from the Latin copia, meaning "abundance." You can use copious for something quantitative, like your copious admirers, or for something qualitative, like the copious gratitude you feel for your admirers. You will often see the word amounts following copious since the adjective is often used to modify a measurement of something — like copious amounts of coffee or copious amounts of hair gel.

Example Sentences

“We sampled all their pies and food and made copious notes on this stuff,” Rafferty says.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

India lacks such large inventories, but as prices climb, it may opt to buy the copious volumes of sanctioned crude oil currently in floating storage, mainly in East Asia.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

People in Dubai’s copious WhatsApp groups discussed those options along with the best ways of crossing into Oman and how to get Saudi visas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

“This system will be drawing up copious amounts of subtropical moisture from the south,” Bryan Allegretto wrote in the weather blog Palisades Tahoe.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

The stromboli is a staple in Pennsylvania cuisine, essentially consisting of a pizza folded on itself, a bread, dairy, and meat concoction held together with copious amounts of grease, classic adolescent comfort food.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

Related Words

• ample
• extensive