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avatar

n.
US //ˈævəˌtɑɹ// UK //ˈævɐtˌɑː// avatar
  1. 1 online profile picture (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    a small picture or icon that you choose to represent yourself on a website or social media.

    a static or nearly static digital image used as a graphical representation of a user in non-immersive digital environments.

    Example

    I decided to change my avatar to a photo of my cat.

    Example

    The forum allows users to upload a custom avatar, though many prefer to use the default geometric patterns provided by the system.
    • profile picture
    • icon
    • userpic
  2. 2 virtual character (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    a digital character that you control in a video game or a virtual world.

    a dynamic digital model or character representing a person in a virtual world, metaverse, or gaming environment.

    Example

    You can customise your avatar's clothes and hair in the game.

    Example

    In the virtual meeting space, my avatar can walk around and interact with other participants as if we were in the same room.
  3. 3 divine incarnation (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Religion

    a god appearing on Earth in a physical body, especially in Hinduism.

    the incarnation of a deity in human or animal form on Earth, particularly associated with the god Vishnu.

    Example

    In Hindu stories, Krishna is described as an avatar of Vishnu.

    Example

    The temple features various carvings depicting the ten primary avatars of the deity, each representing a different stage of cosmic evolution.
  4. 4 embodiment of a quality (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary Formal

    a person who is a perfect example of a particular idea or quality.

    the manifest embodiment or personification of a specific concept, principle, or quality.

    Example

    To his followers, the leader was the avatar of hope and change.

    Example

    The protagonist is presented as an avatar of stoicism, remaining entirely unmoved by the chaotic events unfolding around him.
Origin

First use appears c. 1784, in The Hindu Wife; or, The Enchanted Fruit, by William Jones. Borrowed from Hindustani अवतार (avtār) / اوتار (avtār), from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”), a compound of अव (ava, “off, away, down”) and the vṛddhi-stem of the root तॄ (tṝ, “to cross”) (whence तरति (tarati)). In the computing sense, some use appeared in video games in the 1980s, such as the online roleplaying game Habitat (1985) by Lucasfilm Games (today LucasArts), by Chip Morningstar and Randy Farmer, later versions of the Ultima series (following religious use in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985)), and the pen and paper role-playing game Shadowrun (1989). Also popularized by the novel Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family
  • Nounavatar
  • Nounavi

Last updated June 20, 2026