virality

American

[vahy-ral-i-tee] / vaɪˈræl ɪ ti /

noun

the condition or fact of being rapidly spread or popularized by means of people communicating with each other, especially through the internet.

We’re looking for ways to increase the virality of our web content.

Etymology

Origin of virality

Fist recorded in 1975–80; viral + -ity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The irreverent news website had seemingly cracked the code for social-media virality, and would soon become one of the first digital-media startups to achieve unicorn status with a valuation of over $1 billion.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

OpenClaw reached peak virality in late January, when the AI assistants appeared to begin communicating with each other on a Reddit-style forum called Moltbook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

“Friday” has become a relic of pop, virality and how we once used the internet.

From Salon • Feb. 16, 2026

Her advice to young artists is not to chase virality on social media at the expense of authenticity.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

The video’s virality was helped by the news media, the algorithms behind social media and the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Whoopi Goldberg and the Philly Phanatic.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023