avatar

American  

[av-uh-tahr, av-uh-tahr] / ˈæv əˌtɑr, ˌæv əˈtɑr /

noun

• avatars
  plural

1. Hinduism. the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.

2. an embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.

   Her complete loss of confidence was particularly unsettling, because generally she is the very avatar of hope.

3. Digital Technology. a static or moving image or other graphic representation that acts as a proxy for a person or is associated with a specific digital account or identity, as on the internet.

   My friend always chooses warriors as his video game avatars.

   Now that spring's here I've switched my Instagram avatar from a stack of books to a robin's egg.

4. Also called avatar mouse, mouse avatar. a mouse that is implanted with cells or tissue freshly extracted from a human being, as to test drug therapies for an individual patient or to study a disease process.

   Researchers transplanted samples of the patient’s tumor into specially bred avatars.

5. (in science fiction) a hybrid creature, composed of human and alien DNA and remotely controlled by the mind of a genetically matched human being.

---

avatar British  

/ ˈævəˌtɑː /

noun

1. Hinduism the manifestation of a deity, notably Vishnu, in human, superhuman, or animal form

2. a visible manifestation or embodiment of an abstract concept; archetype

3. a movable image that represents a person in a virtual reality environment or in cyberspace

---

avatar Cultural  

1. In Hinduism, a god made visibly present, especially in a human form. The Buddha is considered an avatar of the god Vishnu.

---

Discover More

By extension, an “avatar” is any new embodiment of an old idea.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• avatars
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of avatar

First recorded in 1775–85; from Sanskrit avatāra “a passing down, descent,” from ava “down” + -tāra “a passing over” (akin to Latin trāns “across, beyond, through”; see also through ( def. ))

---

Explanation

You might know this word from video games, where you create an avatar to represent you on screen. An avatar is something that embodies something else. In Hinduism the different gods can take many different forms, and when they took human forms, the human was their avatar. Eventually, the word avatar came to mean the embodiment not just of a god, but also of any abstract idea. If you have a cool head, you might see yourself as the avatar of reasonableness in a fight. Video game avatars are sort of a reverse of the first meaning––a physical entity (you) form becomes something abstract (a video game guy).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

avatar avatars

Speaking of that, the images and the joke, let’s talk about using the AI avatar.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

In that scenario, the AI avatar would serve as the mayor, looking to interrogate the consultant’s recommendations, Zafar said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

“If you designed your Muse avatar or if you designed your Dot in the likeness of your pet, perhaps you would feel a little bit more forgiving if your pet coughs up a hairball, right?”

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

The avatar recurs throughout the film, speaking words drawn from Musk’s interviews and public appearances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Now that I was off school grounds, I could use my avatar name once again.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

“Star Wars Funday Football” will feature live-animated avatars of all of the players on the field as they play the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

These little things also have cute avatars, which you can customize to your liking.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

OpenAI’s Dots agents, which also launched last month, let users pick from fuzzy characters like Todd the frog, digital pets or custom-designed avatars.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

Organoids are "biological models" or "avatars" for human brain cells that are far less complex and do not receive sensory input, she added.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Before long, twenty avatars were listed on the Scoreboard.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• apotheosis
• archetype
• epitome
• exemplar
• expression
• personification
• realization
• symbol

---