viscous

play

adjective vis·cous \ ˈvi-skəs \

Definition of viscous

1 :having a thick or sticky consistency :viscid

viscous secretions

viscous corn syrup

2 technical :having or characterized by a high resistance to flow

viscous lava

—

viscously

adverb

—

viscousness

noun

See viscous defined for English-language learners

See viscous defined for kids

Examples of viscous in a Sentence

viscous syrup that takes forever to pour from a narrow-neck bottle

Recent Examples of viscous from the Web

In manual-equipped models, a viscous limited-slip center differential restricts torque delivery to a 50/50 front-to-rear split.

— david beard, Car and Driver, "2018 Subaru Crosstrek," 28 July 2017
Twenty years earlier, General Billy Mitchell had used an airplane to sink a battleship, but changing the trajectory of military thinking, and hence procurement, often requires changing a service’s viscous culture.

— george will, National Review, "The Air Force Faces the Future," 19 July 2017
All hail the flour tortilla and the curiously viscous queso dip.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
A chef poured a viscous yellow sauce into small plastic cups.

— sheila marikar, New York Times, "Tiptoeing (and Tweeting) Through the Tulips With DJ Khaled," 6 July 2017
Less viscous options will saturate a cloth easily, making them good for applications over moldings.

— peter martin, Popular Mechanics, "How To Choose the Right Wood Stain," 3 July 2017
To minimize its viscous texture, look for pods that are small and firm, avoiding okra that is overly ripe or large.

— noelle carter, latimes.com, "Okra is in season. We have recipes," 9 June 2017
The hottest names in rap (and pop) at the moment each get a chance to do their thing over a viscous beat, and the result is a song that oozes low-key pep.

— raisa bruner, Time, "Songs of Summer 2017: Here are 10 Jams That Could Rule Summer," 5 June 2017
Even that viscous wine (said to be fermented in a spittoon) went down more easily than this sudden insight into the way things are.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Government Inspector,’ Dumb and Dumber, Deliciously," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'viscous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of viscous

Middle English viscouse, from Anglo-French viscos, from Late Latin viscosus full of birdlime, viscous, from Latin viscum mistletoe, birdlime; akin to Old High German wīhsila cherry, Greek ixos mistletoe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year