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

Video of the incident that went viral online shows students telling a man authorities say is Morgan to get out of an Athens bar. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

The local story went viral after Love, a software developer from New York City, posted about the incident on Bluesky. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026

Adding attention was an unconventional interview that went viral. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Others will see a way to turn one shoot day into a month of content, keep a viral series running or test new formats without leaving their bed. — Taylor Reilly, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

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