View synonyms for viral

viral

[ vahy-ruhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

of, relating to, or caused by a virus.
pertaining to or involving the spreading of information and opinions about a product or service from person to person, especially on the internet or in emails: viral marketing.
a clever viral ad.
becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially through the internet:
the most memorable viral videos;
This book is already viral two weeks before its official publication date.
pertaining to a computer virus.

viral

/ ˈvaɪrəl /

of, relating to, or caused by a virus
(of a video, image, story, etc) spread quickly and widely among internet users via social networking sites, e-mail, etc

Origin of viral¹

First recorded in 1935–40; vir(us) + -al ¹

go viral, to spread rapidly via the internet, email, or other media:
Footage of the candidate's off-color remarks went viral within minutes.

That video of you doing all the New York impressions went viral.

Brooklyn musician Bobby Shmurda, whose ‘Shmoney Dance’ went viral, was arrested today on ‘gang conspiracy’ charges, police said.

Despite the acclaim and the viral popularity, the band has never lost that independant creative spirit.

The clip received heaps of Internet criticism after it went viral, and has since been pulled down from state channels.

The very nature of going “viral” is that it requires the content to be instantly, freely shareable.

Secondary invaders and pus-forming bacteria follow the viral destruction of the lung tissue and form abscesses.

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

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