adj
viral
VEYE-ruhl
adj
1
Relating to, or caused by, a virus.
"The doctor confirmed it was a viral infection, not bacterial."
2
Spreading extremely fast from person to person, especially online.
"The video of the dancing dog went viral within hours."
"Her tweet went viral and was shared over a million times."
noun
1
A piece of content, such as a video or post, that spreads rapidly online.
"The marketing team was hoping to create a viral, not just another ad."
How to Use Viral
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither "caused by a virus" or, more commonly now, "spreading incredibly fast online."
Common pairings
go viral
a viral video
viral infection
viral marketing
Word Forms
virals plural
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The doctor confirmed it was a _____ infection, not bacterial.
Etymology
From virus plus the adjective-forming suffix -al.