avatar

noun

av·​a·​tar ˈa-və-ˌtär 

plural avatars

1

: an electronic image (as in a video game) that represents and may be manipulated by a computer user

The average Fortnite player spends hundreds of hours in the game with a personal avatar, fighting with and interacting with the avatars of other players.

—Brian X. Chen

compare non-player character, npc

2

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

3

a

: an incarnation in human form

b

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

… his series hero is about as pure an avatar of freedom as you will find in modern fiction …

—Sam Leith

4

: a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity

the latest avatar of the conservative movement

Did you know?

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. These are just some of the elements and environments that video game avatars—the images representing and controlled by players—have faced since the days of Space Invaders, to say nothing of today's Pandora’s box of assorted baddies. Avatar comes from the Sanskrit word avatāraḥ, meaning “descent.” When avatar 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 the embodiment of a concept or philosophy), whether or not in the form of a person. All of these senses of avatar are still in use today, joined by the more recent computing/gaming sense, which may refer to “you” embodied as a mustachioed Italian plumber, for example, even if you are not, in fact, a mustachioed Italian plumber.

Synonyms of avatar

• manifestation
• image
• icon
• incarnation

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 on the Web

His heroes aren’t athletes or movie stars but anonymous Twitter accounts—anime avatars and pseudonyms with cryptic bios—whose followers track their trades with devotional intensity. —Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026

Deals with LaLiga and the NBA allowed users to create avatars with team logos and compete in mini-games and prediction challenges against other fanbases. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 17 Mar. 2026

In one post, a male avatar is depicted pointing a gun at a female judge with dark hair and glasses, which the complaint said resembled the judge. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 17 Mar. 2026

But on the awards-speech score, could an AI avatar and its prompters really have done worse? —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for avatar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar
• isobar

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Kids Definition

avatar

noun

av·​a·​tar ˈa-və-ˌtär 

1

: someone who represents a type of person, an idea, or a quality

2

: an electronic image that represents and may be manipulated by a computer user (as in a game)