avatar
Americannoun
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Hinduism. the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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(in science fiction) a hybrid creature, composed of human and alien DNA and remotely controlled by the mind of a genetically matched human being.
noun
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Hinduism the manifestation of a deity, notably Vishnu, in human, superhuman, or animal form
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a visible manifestation or embodiment of an abstract concept; archetype
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a movable image that represents a person in a virtual reality environment or in cyberspace
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By extension, an “avatar” is any new embodiment of an old idea.
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”; through ( def. ) )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But it is also the avatar of a decadent Old World barely capable of maintaining the artifacts of its past, let alone rekindling its genius.
In the troika of major figures in the Russian Revolution, Trotsky stood for ideas and Stalin represented power; their predecessor, Vladimir Lenin, had fused the two values as the frowning avatar of communist leadership.
Mario is thus an ideal avatar: Cheerful, active, in perpetual motion and vague enough to represent whatever a gamer wants him to be.
To create a responsive and realistic avatar for the chatbot, she stood for hours speaking nonstop.
From Barron's
Users create, share and play various games and other experiences, chatting to each other and using customizable avatars.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
