avatar
noun
Brian X. ChenSam Leith
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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 of 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.
Synonyms
Examples of avatar in a Sentence
Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
The editor is robust and vaguely reminiscent of Meta's VR avatars—albeit with arms and legs.
—PCMAG, 15 May 2024
First, a scammer located in, say, the Ivory Coast, will create an attractive female avatar.
—Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 15 May 2024
Billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman has recently released a video ‘interview’ with his new digital avatar, Reid AI.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for avatar 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'avatar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Avatar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avatar. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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