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.
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
Indigenous people and Spanish settlers utilized the viscous goo for medicinal purposes and waterproofing boats.
From Los Angeles Times
Under that scenario, the corresponding price tag on the heavy, viscous crude pumped in Venezuela would be in the high-$30s range.
Wells pumped viscous, tar-like oil from fields in the Orinoco Belt, a 54,000-square-mile region that holds most of the country’s gargantuan crude reserves.
Ice-cold, and bitter, and viscous, like she’d taken a swig of gasoline.
From Literature
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.
