avatar

noun av·a·tar \ ˈa-və-ˌtär \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of avatar

1 : the incarnation of a Hindu deity (such as Vishnu)

2 a : an incarnation in human form

b : an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person

She was regarded as an avatar of charity and concern for the poor.

3 : a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity

the latest avatar of the conservative movement

4 : an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user in a virtual space (as in a computer game or an online shopping site) and that interacts with other objects in the space

See avatar defined for English-language learners

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Examples of avatar in a Sentence

She has come to be regarded as an avatar of charity and concern for the poor.
She chose a penguin as her personal avatar in the chat room.

Recent Examples of avatar from the Web

Video game matches will play out like their real-world counterparts: Ten players, five on each team, will control digital avatars for four quarters.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "The Trail Blazers are bringing six professional 'NBA 2K' players to Portland," 7 Apr. 2018
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan play avatar versions of four detention-doing teens who get sucked into a video game.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Capsule movie reviews for April 8," 5 Apr. 2018
To the people getting squeezed out, the white hipster became the avatar for the invasion.

— brittny mejia, joe mozingo, www.latimes.com, "As gentrification closes in, immigrants in Lincoln Heights find their American dream slipping away," 3 Apr. 2018
Robert Hanashiro Olivia Cooke pulls double mysterious duty in Ready Player One, starring as the rebel Samantha and her avatar Art3mis in the virtual reality world of The OASIS.

— bryan alexander, USA TODAY, "Who plays mysterious Art3mis in 'Ready Player One'? 5 things to know about Olivia Cooke," 2 Apr. 2018
The characters are thinly drawn, and most of them are little more than cool avatars and signature moves.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One improves immensely on the book," 30 Mar. 2018
In other parts of the game, an avatar of a similar-looking blonde woman flashes on the screen.

— samantha schmidt, chicagotribune.com, "'Grand Theft Auto' character does not actually resemble Lindsay Lohan, court rules," 30 Mar. 2018
Viewers see these faceless avatars doing grunt work around the OASIS, keeping the cartoon trains running on time for their corporate masters.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Ready Player One Is a Mile Wide and a Pixel Deep," 29 Mar. 2018
Halliday’s biggest enthusiast is Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), whose avatar is Parzival, named for the mythical seeker of the Holy Grail.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Ready Player One' is a movie at odds with itself," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'avatar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Avatar derives from a Sanskrit word meaning "descent," and when it first appeared in English in the late 18th century, it referred to the descent of a deity to the earth - typically, the incarnation in earthly form of Vishnu or another Hindu deity. It later came to refer to any incarnation in human form, and then to any embodiment (such as that of a concept or philosophy), whether or not in the form a person. In the age of technology, "avatar" has developed another sense - it can now be used for the image that a person chooses as his or her "embodiment" in an electronic medium.

Origin and Etymology of avatar

Sanskrit avatāraḥ descent, from avatarati he descends, from ava- away + tarati he crosses over — more at ukase, ¹through

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1784

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

avatar Synonyms

Synonyms

abstract, embodier, embodiment, epitome, externalization, genius, icon (also ikon), image, incarnation, incorporation, manifestation, objectification, personification, personifier;

essence, quintessence, soul;

archetype, exemplar, model, paradigm, pattern;

reincarnation;

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

AVATAR Defined for English Language Learners

avatar

noun

Definition of avatar for English Language Learners

Hinduism : the human or animal form of a Hindu god on earth
: someone who represents a type of person, an idea, or a quality
computers : a small picture that represents a computer user in a game, on the Internet, etc.