viral

American  

[vahy-ruhl] / ˈvaɪ rəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or caused by a virus.

2. pertaining to or involving the spreading of information and opinions about a product or service from person to person, especially on the internet or in emails.

   a clever viral ad.

3. becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially through the internet.

   the most memorable viral videos;

   This book is already viral two weeks before its official publication date.

4. pertaining to a computer virus.

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idioms

1. go viral, to spread rapidly via the internet, email, or other media.

   Footage of the candidate's off-color remarks went viral within minutes.

viral British  

/ ˈvaɪrəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or caused by a virus

2. (of a video, image, story, etc) spread quickly and widely among internet users via social networking sites, e-mail, etc

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Other Word Forms

• antiviral
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of viral

First recorded in 1935–40; vir(us) + -al ¹

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Explanation

If you go to work when you're sick, your co-workers will be hoping that whatever you've got isn't viral. Viral describes a disease caused by a virus, and viruses are usually infectious. Infections and other kinds of diseases can be classified as viral by a doctor, which means they're caused by viruses, specific kinds of microorganisms. Because of the speedy way that viral infections can spread, the meaning has grown to include the spread of ideas or information, often on the Internet. Viral videos are short online films that become incredibly popular very quickly, as people share them with each other and they spread like a virus.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

viral

The viral video showed Mbappe saying that the funniest internet meme about him he had seen was of his face photoshopped onto that of "some guy -- I think he's a Chinese dictator".

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

This year was the 25th anniversary of the party, which has provided viral pop culture moments over the years, like when Klum dressed up as a worm in 2022.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Among these defenses are retrons, molecular systems that can detect certain viral infections and trigger the infected bacterium to destroy itself.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

And one claim is going viral this spooky season: that giving out full-sized candy bars to Halloween trick-or-treaters makes more financial sense than bagging the smaller “fun size” sweets.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

It occurs to me how awful that nickname is: Calling your needy little sister something that’s one letter off from a viral infection that causes acute inflammation of the brain?

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

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