Anti-viral immune responses have been studied extensively in order to inform rational vaccine design. Following viral infection, the balance of pathologic and protective antibody responses in the host can critically influence clinical outcomes. Comparisons of the different classes of antibodies produced after acute or chronic viral infections have uncovered common features of anti-viral responses, but these analyses have also revealed temporal differences in neutralizing antibody production, variable neutralization potency and differential induction of cross-reactive antibodies. Cross-reactive antibodies are known to play crucial protective roles in host responses to chronic viral infections; recent studies in human immunodeficiency virus long-term controllers have identified a novel class of broadly neutralizing antibodies generated from highly mutated and selected memory B cells. Here, we summarize the various roles played by cross- and poly-reactive antibodies in acute and persistent viral infections, with a focus on the potential contribution of these antibodies to dengue virus (DENV) immunopathology and host protection. Since host antibodies profoundly alter the course of viral infections, effective DENV vaccine design will require a better understanding of the origin, affinity maturation and protective potential of the poly-reactive and cross-reactive antibodies induced by different interventions.