Contagious vs Viral - What's the difference?

As adjectives the difference between contagious and viral

is that contagious is of a disease, easily transmitted to others while viral is of or relating to a biological virus.

a video, image or text spread by "word of mouth" on the internet or by e-mail for humorous, political or marketing purposes.

(wikipedia contagious)

(en adjective)

Of a disease, easily transmitted to others.

The flu was so contagious that everybody in town got sick!

Of a fashion, laughter, etc., easily passed on to others.

Wearing jeans was a contagious fad at that time.

Of a person, having a disease that can be transmitted to another person by touch.

They were highly contagious , spreading bacteria to other people.

* (of a disease) catching, infectious * infectious

* non-contagious

* contagiousness * contagion

(-)

(virology) Of or relating to a biological virus.

viral DNA

(virology) Caused by a virus.

viral infection

(computing) Of the nature of an informatic virus; able to spread copies of itself to other computers.

(advertising, and, marketing) Spread by word of mouth, with minimal intervention in order to create buzz and interest.

* go viral * viral marketing

(en noun)

(marketing) A video, image or text spread by "word of mouth" on the internet or by e-mail for humorous, political or marketing purposes.

* 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.

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