viral

adjective

vi·​ral ˈvī-rəl 

1

: of, relating to, or caused by a virus

a viral infection

2

: quickly and widely spread or popularized especially by means of social media

a viral video

virally

ˈvī-rə-lē 

adverb

virality

vī-ˈra-lə-tē 

noun

Examples of viral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Larroudé, founded by Brazilian husband-and-wife duo Ricardo and Marina Larroudé, went viral for its trend-aware, sustainably made footwear shortly after getting off the ground in 2020. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2025

The Wendy’s collaboration was Lomax’s bridge between viral content and a real step into professional creative work. —Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025

In a video shared to his TikTok account that went viral, Ray, who lives in China, posted a clip of himself picking up his daughter Cindy from school. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025

Since Gizmo’s story went viral, the TikTok post has already generated over 4,700 comments at the time of writing. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

vir(us) + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing viral

• viral load
• viral marketing

Rhymes for viral

• chiral
• spiral
• adenoviral
• antiretroviral
• antiviral
• retroviral

Kids Definition

viral

adjective

vi·​ral ˈvī-rəl 

1

: of, relating to, or caused by a virus

a viral infection

2

: quickly and widely spread or popularized especially by person-to-person electronic communication

a viral video

Medical Definition

viral

adjective

vi·​ral ˈvī-rəl 

: of, relating to, or caused by a virus

viral infections

virally

-rə-lē 

adverb