English Reference
Adjective

copious

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˈkoʊpiəs/ UK /kˈəʊpɪəs/ co·pi·ous

adj.existing in very large amounts. You use this to describe having more than enough of something, like notes or food.

adj.abundant in supply or quantity; yielding something in large amounts.


SIMPLE

She took copious notes during the long lecture.

CONTEXTUAL

The harvest was copious this year, providing enough grain to feed the entire village through the winter.

COMPLEX

Despite the copious evidence presented by the prosecution, the jury struggled to reach a unanimous verdict due to several procedural inconsistencies during the initial investigation.

Usage

Typically used to modify uncountable nouns like 'evidence', 'notes', or 'amounts'.

Carmakers and their suppliers are industrial businesses that use copious amounts of energy, and prices in the UK are among the highest in Europe.

BBC News· 7 Sept 2026

But his sermon was promptly returned to him by the woman with copious criticism and notes for its improvement.

Aeon· 18 Aug 2026

From Middle English copious, from Latin copiosus, from copia (“abundance”), equivalent to co- + ops (“wealth”) + -osus (“full of”). By surface analysis, copy + -ous.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin copiosus
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated