Viscous

Viscous describes a liquid's resistance to flow; it's a measure of its internal friction. A viscous substance is thick, syrupy, and slow-moving. The higher the viscosity, the greater the resistance to flow. Think of honey versus water; honey is highly viscous and pours slowly, while water is less viscous and flows easily. The viscosity of a substance is affected by temperature; heat usually decreases viscosity, while cooling increases it. This property is crucial in many industrial and biological applications. It is often applied to fluids or liquids, but sometimes used to describe semi-solids.

Viscous meaning with examples

• The mechanic struggled to drain the engine oil; its viscous consistency made it difficult to pour from the container. He knew a new oil change would solve the problem. This slow, sticky oil had clearly become more viscous over time due to age and contaminants. This caused poor lubrication.
• The honey poured slowly from the jar, its viscous texture causing a frustratingly slow trickle onto the bread. The baker mentioned that the viscosity depended on the flower it came from, some being less so. The warm, golden honey demonstrated a quintessential viscous behavior, making it perfect for certain recipes.
• The paint was too viscous, making it difficult to spread evenly across the canvas. The artist added a thinner to reduce its viscosity. Despite the problem, the artist realized that the viscous paint had the benefit of staying exactly where it was placed with excellent color coverage.
• The glue, after sitting out for a few hours, became so viscous that it was almost impossible to squeeze from the tube. The builder threw away the nearly useless viscous glue. Fresh glue was, therefore, required and was quite easy to use on the project.