viral

[vahy-ruhl]

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.

viral

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• antiviral adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of viral¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

A video clip of Stoptime performing the song went viral recently on social media.

Read more on BBC

Tellingly, her most viral moments have melded her heritage with her horror sensibilities, such as a recent hit clip in which she cooked albondigas in a cauldron.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Use of the word went viral in schools and on social media this year.

Read more on Barron's

But the viral claim that it’s 17-times larger than the dot-com crash is misleading.

Read more on MarketWatch

But today there are more frequent surges in e-commerce package volume, some of them planned—such as Amazon’s Prime Day events—and some unplanned, such as when a skin-care product goes viral on TikTok.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal