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

Etymology

Origin of viral

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

Example Sentences

Now, any bad news is good news—as long as a corporate brand can turn it into a viral meme.

From The Wall Street Journal

The moment, now known as Democracy Manifest, became one of the most viral videos in Australia's history, and inspired thousands of memes, musical remixes, merchandise and even an orchestral piece.

From BBC

Marvell is an AI infrastructure provider that supports agentic artificial intelligence, a type of AI that gained traction earlier this year with the viral success of OpenClaw.

From Barron's

Sliding down from the truck, Harry added, “It was worth it, though. Her frybread was delicious and the video is still one of her most viral.”

From Literature

Some attendees said it was reminiscent of the Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow - the in-person event that went viral after customers were promised a glimpse into the world of the fictional chocolatier.

From BBC