Why is water wet? & Is water wet? These are questions that barely get asked but I can answer them. Is water wet? Liquid water is not itself wet but can make other solid materials wet. Wetness is the ability of a liquid to adhere to the surface of a solid, so when we say that something is wet, we mean that the liquid is sticking to the surface of a material. Why is water wet? Water is wet, in the sense of being a liquid that flows easily, because its viscosity is low, which is because its molecules are rather loosely joined together.