The term “viral” usually refers to something, like a video, image, or piece of information, that spreads quickly and widely across the internet. Just like a cold or flu virus spreads from person to person, something going viral online spreads from one person to another very rapidly, often because people share it on social media or through other online platforms. When something goes viral, it can reach a lot of people in a short amount of time.
Table of contents:
- Meaning and definition of viral
- What are the grammatical uses of viral?
- What are the grammatical forms of viral?
- How to pronounce viral?
- Synonyms and antonyms of viral
- How to use viral in spoken English?
- Examples of viral from web articles
Meaning and definition of viral
1. Internet Sensation: When something, like a video, meme, or tweet, becomes very popular and spreads quickly across the internet. It’s like when everyone is talking about the same thing online.
- Example: “That funny cat video went viral on social media, and now everyone’s sharing it!”
2. Spread of Disease: In medicine, “viral” refers to something caused by a virus, like the flu or common cold. Viruses can quickly spread from one person to another, causing illness.
- Example: “Many people got sick because of the viral outbreak of the flu in our school.”
3. Marketing and Advertising: In business, “viral” often refers to a marketing campaign or advertisement that spreads rapidly and widely, often through word-of-mouth or social sharing.
- Example: “The company’s clever marketing strategy led to their ad going viral, reaching millions of people online.”
4. Computer Virus: In computing, a “viral” refers to malicious software that spreads from one computer to another, often causing damage or stealing information.
- Example: “My computer got infected with a viral when I clicked on a suspicious link in an email.”
5. Cultural Phenomenon: Sometimes, “viral” can describe a trend or behavior that becomes popular very quickly and is widely adopted by many people.
- Example: “The dance challenge went viral on TikTok, with people all around the world participating and posting their videos.”
These are just a few examples of how the term “viral” can be used in different contexts. It usually implies something spreading rapidly and widely, whether it’s online, in medicine, in business, or in other areas of life.
What are the grammatical uses of viral?
- Adjective: When used as an adjective, “viral” describes something that relates to or resembles a virus, often in a figurative sense.
- Example: “Her contagious laughter had a viral effect on the entire room, and soon everyone was laughing.”
- Adverb: In some cases, “viral” can also function as an adverb, describing how something spreads rapidly and widely, often through online platforms.
- Example: “The news about the new product spread viral, with people sharing it on social media within minutes of its announcement.”
What are the grammatical forms of viral?
While “viral” is primarily an adjective, there aren’t many other grammatical forms of the word. However, there are related words or phrases that convey similar meanings. Here’s one:
- Virality (Noun): This term refers to the quality or state of being viral, or the degree to which something has spread widely and rapidly across the internet or other platforms.
Example: “The video’s virality surprised everyone, as it garnered millions of views in just a few hours.”
In this example, “virality” is used as a noun to describe the extent to which the video spread rapidly online.
How to pronounce viral?
“Viral” is pronounced like this: “vye-ruhl.”
Here’s a breakdown:
- The first syllable “vye” sounds like saying the letter “V” followed by the sound “eye,” like the word “eye.”
- The second syllable “ruhl” rhymes with the word “hurl,” so it’s like saying “ruhl” but with the “r” sound at the beginning.
So when you put it together, it’s “vye-ruhl.”
Synonyms and antonyms of viral
- Internet Sensation:
- Synonyms: Trending, popular, buzzworthy, widespread, trending, trending, viral, viral.
- Antonyms: Obscure, unnoticed, unpopular, overlooked, hidden.
- Spread of Disease:
- Synonyms: Infectious, contagious, epidemic, pandemic.
- Antonyms: Non-contagious, isolated, contained, cured.
- Marketing and Advertising:
- Synonyms: Buzzworthy, popular, trending, shared, popularized.
- Antonyms: Unnoticed, ignored, unsuccessful, unpopular, ineffective.
- Computer Virus:
- Synonyms: Malware, malicious software, worm, Trojan.
- Antonyms: Secure, protected, antivirus, uninfected.
- Cultural Phenomenon:
- Synonyms: Trend, craze, fad, sensation, phenomenon.
- Antonyms: Niche, obscure, outdated, forgotten, ignored.
How to use viral in spoken English?
Here are some examples of how you can use the word “viral” in spoken English, along with some tips:
1. Online Content:
- Example: “Have you seen that hilarious video of the baby laughing? It went viral on social media!”
- Tip: When talking about viral content, try to add some context or describe what makes it interesting to engage your listener.
2. Health and Medicine:
- Example: “The flu has been going around the office like crazy. It’s definitely viral.”
- Tip: Use “viral” to describe the spread of diseases, but make sure the context makes it clear you’re not talking about internet popularity.
3. Marketing and Trends:
- Example: “That new dance craze is spreading like wildfire! It’s gone viral on TikTok.”
- Tip: Mentioning specific platforms or mediums where something has gone viral can make your conversation more relevant and specific.
4. Tech and Computers:
- Example: “My computer crashed because I clicked on a link that had a viral attached to it.”
- Tip: Be careful with this usage, as it’s important to distinguish between computer viruses and popular online content.
5. Cultural References:
- Example: “Remember when everyone was doing the ice bucket challenge? That was such a viral trend.”
- Tip: Use “viral” to refer to cultural phenomena or trends that gain widespread attention and participation.
6. Adjective or Adverb Use:
- Example: “His joke had a viral effect on the whole room; everyone was laughing!”
- Tip: Experiment with using “viral” as an adjective or adverb to describe the impact or spread of something.
Remember these tips when using “viral” in conversation:
- Provide context to ensure your meaning is clear.
- Use specific examples to make your conversation more engaging.
- Pay attention to the tone and formality of your conversation, as some contexts may require different levels of formality.
- Practice using “viral” in different contexts to become more comfortable with its usage.
Some more examples:
- That meme about Mondays became viral overnight!
- The news of their engagement spread viral among their friends and family.
- The song’s catchy chorus made it go viral on streaming platforms.
- The video game’s trailer went viral, creating a lot of anticipation among gamers.
- The cat’s adorable antics in the video made it go viral within hours.
- Her makeup tutorial went viral on YouTube, with millions of views in just a few days.
- The company’s viral marketing campaign led to a significant increase in sales.
- The fake news story about aliens invading the city quickly went viral on social media.
- The dance move from the music video went viral, with people all over the world trying to imitate it.
- The photo of the sunset over the city skyline went viral on Instagram, gaining thousands of likes and shares.
Examples of viral from web articles
Example 1:
In the realm of Instagram, if you’re looking to propel your business forward, it’s crucial to ensure that your content goes viral so that it reaches a broader audience. However, creating viral content is often deemed challenging. Nevertheless, there are specific actions you can take to transform your content into a viral sensation. Let’s dive into these strategies. [Medium]
In the given examples, the word “viral” is used as an adjective to describe the type of content being discussed. Specifically, it’s used to emphasize the goal of creating content that spreads quickly and widely across social media platforms like Instagram, reaching a large audience.
Here’s how “viral” is used in the examples:
- “Ensure that your content goes viral”: Here, “viral” describes the desired outcome for the content — to become widely popular and shared.
- “Creating viral content”: Again, “viral” describes the type of content being discussed, indicating that the goal is to create something that will spread rapidly.
- “Transform your content into a viral sensation”: Once more, “viral” is used to describe the desired effect of the content — to become a sensation by being widely shared and talked about.
Example 2:
A thorough analysis of accounts on Instagram that produce content similar to yours is essential. By understanding their content strategies and how they achieve virality, you can gain valuable insights. Learn from both their strengths and weaknesses. [Medium]
- “How they achieve virality”: Here, “virality” is used to describe the state or quality of being viral. It refers to the ability of content to spread rapidly and widely across platforms like Instagram.
- “You can gain valuable insights”: The word “virality” here suggests that understanding how certain accounts achieve widespread popularity can provide valuable lessons for improving one’s own content strategy.
Example 3:
Viral content often stands out due to its uniqueness. It could be a distinct voice, a controversial element, or exclusive information. The more authentic and original your content is, the higher the likelihood of it going viral. [Medium]
- “How they achieve virality”: Similarly to Example 2, “virality” is used to describe the desired outcome of content — to become widely popular and shared.
- “The higher the likelihood of it going viral”: Here, “going viral” refers to the process of content becoming widely popular and shared. It emphasizes the importance of uniqueness and authenticity in achieving this outcome.
Example 4:
What’s viral to someone with 100 connections could be 15k impressions, whereas for someone with 30k connections that might be an average day. [Medium]
- “What’s viral to someone”: In this case, “viral” is used as an adjective to describe content that achieves widespread attention and popularity.
- “That might be an average day”: This highlights the relative nature of virality, with the level of attention varying depending on the size of one’s audience or network.
Example 5:
It’s much harder to achieve focused virality it takes more thought and planning, but they are the viral posts you should be aiming for. [Medium]
- “Focused virality”: Here, “virality” refers to the state of being widely popular and shared, but with a focus on a specific audience or niche.
- “The viral posts you should be aiming for”: This suggests that certain types of viral content are more desirable or beneficial than others.
Example 6:
Going viral is an increasingly prevalent trend online, referring to the rapid dissemination of content across various networks with fast speed, reaching broad audiences rapidly. [Quora]
- “Referring to the rapid dissemination of content”: This describes the process of content spreading quickly across various networks.
- “Reaching broad audiences rapidly”: This emphasizes the widespread reach of content that goes viral.
Example 7:
When something goes viral, it means that it has gained widespread attention and popularity through online sharing, often in a short period of time. [Quora]
- “It has gained widespread attention and popularity”: Here, “viral” describes the state of content that has become widely popular and shared online.
- “Often in a short period of time”: This highlights the rapid nature of virality, with content spreading quickly across online platforms.
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