adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
vī′rəl
/ˈvaɪɹəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aɪɹəl
CMU ARPABET:V AY1 R AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or relating to a biological virus.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Spread by word of mouth with minimal intervention, in order to create buzz and interest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: advertising, business, marketing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Circulated rapidly and widely from one user to another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Qualifier: social media
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A video, image or text spread by "word of mouth" on the internet or by e-mail for humorous, political or marketing purposes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business, marketing
Examples
2002, Nik Lever, Flash Mx Games: ActionScript for Artists, Focal Press, page 411, Using the Flash ActiveX control in this way allows you as a developer to create desktop characters, email virals and screensavers.
2003, Dave Chaffey, Total E-Mail Marketing, Elsevier, page 2, [M]ost virals are not seen as profiling and data collection exercises, since that would kill the impulse of forwarding to a friend.
2005, Russell Evans, Practical DV Filmmaking, Focal Press, page 289, Music company virals are becoming commonplace as costs of promos force labels to reconsider how to target more directly to consumers.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
adjective
Meaning 7
relating to or caused by a virus
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
viral infection
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weys- Proto-Indo-European *wisós Proto-Italic *weizos Latin vīrusbor. Middle English virus English virus English -al English viral From virus + -al.
Across languages
Translations
71 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
вирусен
(virusen)
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Catalan:
víric
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Catalan:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Czech:
virový
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Esperanto:
virusa
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Estonian:
viirus-
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Finnish:
virus-
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Galician:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
German:
Virus-
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Greek:
ιικός
(iikós)
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Hungarian:
vírus-
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Hungarian:
virális
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Ido:
virusala
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Irish:
víreasach
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Korean:
바이러스의
(baireoseuui)
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Malay:
virus
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Māori:
wheori
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Polish:
wirusowy
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Portuguese:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Romanian:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Russian:
ви́русный
(vírusnyj)
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Spanish:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Spanish:
vírico
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Swedish:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Turkish:
viral
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Volapük:
virudik
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Welsh:
feirol
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Welsh:
feirysol
— relating to a virus in biological sense
Catalan:
víric
— caused by a virus
Catalan:
viral
— caused by a virus
Czech:
virový
— caused by a virus
Estonian:
viiruslik
— caused by a virus
Galician:
viral
— caused by a virus
German:
viral
— caused by a virus
German:
Virus-
— caused by a virus
Hungarian:
vírusos
— caused by a virus
Irish:
víreasach
— caused by a virus
Korean:
바이러스성
(baireoseuseong)
— caused by a virus
Māori:
wheori
— caused by a virus
Polish:
wirusowy
— caused by a virus
Portuguese:
viral
— caused by a virus
Romanian:
viral
— caused by a virus
Romanian:
virotic
— caused by a virus
Spanish:
viral
— caused by a virus
Spanish:
vírico
— caused by a virus
Swedish:
viral
— caused by a virus
Turkish:
viral
— caused by a virus
Volapük:
virudik
— caused by a virus
Estonian:
viiruslik
— computing: of the nature of a virus
German:
Virus-
— computing: of the nature of a virus
German:
virusartig
— computing: of the nature of a virus
Russian:
ви́русный
(vírusnyj)
— computing: of the nature of a virus
Catalan:
viral
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Estonian:
viirusturundus
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Finnish:
viraali
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
German:
wie ein Lauffeuer
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Hebrew:
ויראלי
(viral)
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Malay:
tular
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Malay:
تولر
(tular)
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Portuguese:
viral
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Romanian:
viral
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Serbo-Croatian:
zarazan
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Spanish:
viral
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Swedish:
viral
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Turkish:
salgın
— advertising and marketing: spread by word of mouth
Chinese Mandarin:
瘋傳 /疯传
(fēngchuán)
— (of an image, video, piece of information, etc.) circulating rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another
Hindi:
वायरल
(vāyral)
— (of an image, video, piece of information, etc.) circulating rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another
Malay:
tular
— (of an image, video, piece of information, etc.) circulating rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another
Māori:
hōrapa
— (of an image, video, piece of information, etc.) circulating rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another
Swedish:
viral
— (of an image, video, piece of information, etc.) circulating rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another
Ukrainian:
ві́русний
(vírusnyy)
— (of an image, video, piece of information, etc.) circulating rapidly and widely from one Internet user to another
