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,.  Also called 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.

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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

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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.

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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

Members pay for rewards—such as a deal on a new outfit for a golfing avatar, or a cowboy hat for PGATour—and in turn, the executives commit to paying for renewable energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Twitter Democrats stuck by Platner, believing that he was a good avatar for working-class politics and that real voters wouldn’t care that he was rough around the edges.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

A new AI-powered avatar of Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne could make its first UK appearance in Birmingham.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

The Zelig-like Baranov character — understood to be a liberalized avatar for inner circle strategist Vladislav Surkov — is an interesting mix of cynicism and opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

I began to walk my avatar down the hall, using a series of subtle hand motions to control its movements and actions.

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

Brands issue warnings as more creators use avatars and duplicates of themselves to boost affiliate sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Fifa also confirmed that life-like, AI-enabled 3D avatars of every player will be created to make more accurate decisions.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

As AI avatars and music continue to break through on social media and streaming platforms, the marker is meant to be a more reliable signal that an artist is human.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

But then, the agency people unveiled their big idea: to create a campaign centered around reanimated digital avatars of our dead loved ones.

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026

Only seven more of their avatars managed to obtain the Jade Key that day.

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

Related Words

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