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

But Savannah Messenger, owner of Brooklyn’s Velvet Cosmetic Tattoos—who did the viral tattoo-blush treatment on Grace Clarke last year—is skeptical. —Tatiana Dias, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026

But Anthropic dominates the enterprise sector, and its programming assistant, Claude Code, recently went viral. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026

After giving us the viral goods these past few years at the NFL's Big Game, the coffee and donut company turned their ad time into a team-up of 1980s and '90s sitcom all-stars for a reimagining of Affleck's 1997 film Good Will Hunting. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026

The rodent interrupted the game not once but twice before it was eventually captured, putting an end to its now-viral stunt. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 9 Feb. 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