- the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- (in science fiction) a hybrid creature, composed of human and alien DNA and remotely controlled by the mind of a genetically matched human being.
- the manifestation of a deity, notably Vishnu, in human, superhuman, or animal form
- a visible manifestation or embodiment of an abstract concept; archetype
- a movable image that represents a person in a virtual reality environment or in cyberspace
