Virile describes a man who has, or seems to have, the qualities English has traditionally filed under "manly": physical strength, energy, boldness, sexual vigour. The dictionary marks it as a word of approval, and that is broadly right — calling a man virile is calling him impressively male.

But listen to how it is actually used, because the word has drifted. Three things happen. First, it very often points at sexual capability specifically — advertisements for certain products lean on it, which has left the word a little sticky. Second, it is frequently used about *appearance* rather than fact: a virile-looking man in a photograph. Third, and most important now, plenty of speakers use it with a raised eyebrow, because the idea that strength and boldness are "male" qualities is exactly what a lot of people no longer take for granted. So virile can read as sincere praise, as an advertisement's promise, or as gentle mockery of an old-fashioned image of manhood — and the surrounding words tell you which.

It also stretches beyond people: a virile performance, a virile piece of writing, a virile economy — meaning strong, forceful, full of energy. That use is common in criticism and journalism.

It is a formal, written word. In everyday Taiwanese-classroom English you would say strong, tough, or manly instead.