viscous
Americanadjective
-
of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive.
-
having the property of viscosity.
adjective
-
(of liquids) thick and sticky; viscid
-
having or involving viscosity
Other Word Forms
- hyperviscous adjective
- pseudoviscous adjective
- viscously adverb
- viscousness noun
Etymology
Origin of viscous
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin viscōsus, equivalent to Latin visc ( um ) mistletoe, birdlime (made with mistletoe berries) + -ōsus -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It will also be interesting to see how this finding may be applied to assist fiber spinning and other applications that use viscous liquids."
From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026
Venezuela pumped 3 million barrels of viscous crude a day in the 1990s, but its output has fallen to 900,000 barrels a day after years of scant investment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
A resurgence of Venezuela's industry could pose problems for Canada, which produces similarly viscous oil and exports much of it to the US, but analysts reckon the risk is minor.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
The Canadian producers are at somewhat higher risk, because their oil is heavy and viscous, like Venezuelan oil.
From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026
Because in the next instant, time moves like a viscous liquid, dampening all sound.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
