opium of the people

Meanings

phrase

figurativelyUsed to describe religion and compare it to opium.
Synonyms: opium of the masses
figurativelyUsed to describe anything seen as a distraction.
Synonyms: bread and circuses

phraseUsed to describe religion and compare it to opium.

Similar

opium of the masses

phraseUsed to describe anything seen as a distraction.

Similar

From a paraphrased statement from Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right by German philosopher Karl Marx (1818–1883).

German Opium des Volkes

Cite this entry

APA

opium of the people. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opium%20of%20the%20people

MLA

“opium of the people.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opium%20of%20the%20people. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “opium of the people,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opium%20of%20the%20people.