virality
gb/vˈɪɹəlɪti/ us/vˈɪɹəlɪti/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
C1
property
1
rapid online sharing
how quickly and widely something is shared on the internet
Usage pattern:
the virality of [content]; achieve/gain/reach virality
Common mistake:
Use virality as a noun and viral as an adjective: say “the video went viral,” not “the video went virality.”
Synonyms
viral spread (emphasizes the process of spreading quickly)
|
online buzz (more informal and focused on attention or excitement)
|
shareability (emphasizes the potential to be shared, not necessarily actual spread)
Antonyms
obscurity (the state of being little known or unnoticed)
|
limited reach (a small audience rather than wide spread)
Collocations
social media virality
|online virality
|achieve virality
|gain virality
|reach virality
|the virality of a post
|viral content
|sudden virality
|drive virality
|measure virality
Themes
internet
|social_media
|media
|culture
Examples
- The clip's virality surprised the small museum.
- Brands often try to analyze the ingredients of social media virality.
- Her post gained sudden virality after a celebrity shared it.
Learner examples
- The meme's virality made the artist famous.
- The company did not expect the ad to achieve virality.
Noun
business
C1
process
2
user-driven product growth
growth that happens because users bring in more users
Usage pattern:
[product/service] has/builds virality; virality through [sharing/referrals/invitations]
Common mistake:
This use usually refers to user sharing or referrals, not simply to paid advertising.
Synonyms
viral growth (common business term for the same general process)
|
referral growth (specifically growth through user referrals)
|
word-of-mouth growth (broader and not necessarily online or built into a product)
Antonyms
paid acquisition (growth gained by buying ads or leads rather than user spread)
|
organic stagnation (lack of natural user-driven growth)
Collocations
product virality
|built-in virality
|referral virality
|user virality
|network virality
|drive virality
|increase virality
|virality loop
|viral acquisition
|organic growth
Themes
business
|technology
|marketing
|startups
Examples
- The app's virality depended on friends inviting friends.
- Investors asked whether the product had real virality or only expensive ads.
- A referral reward can increase virality if users genuinely value the service.
Learner examples
- The game has strong virality because players invite their friends.
- The startup wants more virality and less spending on ads.
Noun
technical
C2
property
3
biological viral quality
the fact that something is viral, or how easily a virus spreads
Usage pattern:
the virality of [a strain/pathogen/infection]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse virality with virulence, which means how harmful or severe a pathogen is.
Synonyms
viral nature (clearer in general English when meaning caused by a virus)
|
infectivity (more technical and focused on ability to infect)
|
transmissibility (focused on ability to spread between hosts)
Antonyms
nonviral origin (means not caused by or related to a virus)
|
noninfectiousness (means inability to cause infection)
Collocations
biological virality
|pathogen virality
|strain virality
|compare virality
|high virality
|viral infection
|viral spread
Themes
biology
|medicine
|disease
Examples
- Researchers compared the virality of several strains in cell cultures.
- The report used virality to mean transmissibility, not the severity of the disease.
- In medical writing, terms such as infectivity or transmissibility are often more precise than virality.
Learner examples
- The scientist studied the virality of the strain.
Grammar
Dictionary form
virality
IPA
GB/vˈɪɹəlɪti/
US/vˈɪɹəlɪti/
Syllables & stress
vir - al - ity (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (vir)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: virality
- Plural: viralities
Expressions
achieve virality
1/ət͡ʃˈiv vˈɪɹəlɪti/
fixed phrase
reach viral popularity
to become widely shared online
Examples
- The campaign achieved virality after users began remixing the original video.
- Few brand posts achieve virality without feeling natural or timely.
- The song achieved virality months after its release.
built-in virality
1/bˈɪlt ˈɪn vˈɪɹəlɪti/
fixed phrase
business
designed-in sharing potential
a design that naturally makes users share or invite others
Examples
- Messaging apps often have built-in virality because they become more useful when friends join.
- The startup added team invitations to create built-in virality.
- A share button alone is not enough to guarantee built-in virality.
chase virality
1/t͡ʃˈeɪs vˈɪɹəlɪti/
fixed phrase
informal
pursue viral attention
to try to get a lot of online attention
Examples
- Some creators chase virality by copying every new trend.
- The newsroom warned reporters not to chase virality at the expense of accuracy.
- Instead of chasing virality, the brand focused on building a loyal audience.
go viral
1/ɡˈoʊ vˈaɪɹəl/
fixed phrase
Spread explosively online
To become very popular very fast on the internet because many people share it.
Examples
- Her cooking tutorial went viral and changed her life overnight.
- No one expected the short clip to go viral, but it did.
- The charity's message went viral after a celebrity reposted it.
go viral
1/ɡˈoʊ vˈaɪɹəl/
fixed phrase
become widely shared online
to be shared by many people online very quickly
Examples
- The video went viral within hours.
- A customer's complaint went viral and forced the company to respond.
- No one can guarantee that a post will go viral.
manufactured virality
1/mˌænjəfˈækt͡ʃɚd vˈɪɹəlɪti/
fixed phrase
artificially created viral attention
viral-looking popularity that was planned or artificially boosted
Examples
- Critics accused the campaign of manufactured virality after identical posts appeared across dozens of accounts.
- The movie's online buzz felt more like manufactured virality than genuine fan excitement.
- Brands sometimes use influencers to create manufactured virality around a launch.
organic virality
1/ɔɹɡˈænɪk vˈɪɹəlɪti/
fixed phrase
business
natural unpaid viral spread
viral spread that happens because real people choose to share something
Examples
- The brand hoped for organic virality instead of buying more ads.
- The joke had organic virality because people recognized themselves in it.
- Platforms often reward posts that show early signs of organic virality.
virality loop
1/vˈɪɹəlɪti lˈup/
fixed phrase
business
self-repeating user growth
a system where users bring in more users again and again
Examples
- The app created a virality loop by making shared playlists more useful when friends joined.
- A weak virality loop can disappear after the first wave of invitations.
- The team redesigned onboarding to strengthen the product's virality loop.