In the present study, we have synthesized 2-(substituted phenyl)-1H-imidazole (1-12) and (substituted phenyl)-[2-(substituted phenyl)-imidazol-1-yl]-methanone (13-26) analogues and screened them for their antimicrobial activity against gram positive, gram negative and fungal species. The results of antibacterial study indicated that compounds 15, 17 and 24 showed appreciable antibacterial activity and compound 26 emerged as the most potential antifungal agent. The results of SAR studies indicated that the presence of electron withdrawing groups is necessary for the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds. The results of the present study indicated that compounds 15, 17 and 24 might be of interest for the identification of new antimicrobial molecules as their antibacterial activity is equivalent to the standard drug norfloxacin. Further, the antiviral screening of (substituted phenyl)-[2-(substituted phenyl)-imidazol-1-yl]-methanones (13-26) against a panel of viral strains indicated that compounds 16 and 19 can be selected as lead compounds for the development of novel antiviral agents.