黏度，是黏性的程度，是材料的首要功能，也称动力粘度、粘（滞）性系数、内摩擦系数。不同物质的黏度不同，例如在常温（20℃）及常压下，空气的黏度为0.018mPa·s(10^-5)，汽油为0.65mPa·s，水为1 mPa·s，血液（37℃）为4～15mPa·s，橄榄油为10 mPa·s，蓖麻油为10 mPa·s，蜂蜜为10mPa·s，焦油为10 mPa·s，沥青为10 mPa·s，等等。最普通的液体黏度大致在1～1000 m Pa·s，气体的黏度大致在1～10μPa·s。糊状物、凝胶、乳液和其他复杂的液体就不好说了。一些像黄油或人造黄油的脂肪很黏，更像软的固体，而不是流动液体。

The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by shear stress or tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness". For example, honey has a much higher viscosity than water.

Viscosity is a property arising from collisions between neighboring particles in a fluid that are moving at different velocities. When the fluid is forced through a tube, the particles which compose the fluid generally move more quickly near the tube's axis and more slowly near its walls: therefore some stress, (such as a pressure difference between the two ends of the tube), is needed to overcome the friction between particle layers to keep the fluid moving. For the same velocity pattern, the stress required is proportional to the fluid's viscosity.