Home › Hobbies, Crafts & Leisure › Video Gaming & Consoles › avatar

avatar

AV-uh-tar /ˈævətɑː/

nounB2TOEFL

generaltechnical

An icon or figure representing a particular person in a video game, internet forum, or other virtual environment.

In gaming, an avatar can range from a simple 2D profile picture to a fully customizable, three-dimensional character that the player controls.

The story behind the word. In Hinduism, an avatar is the physical descent or incarnation of a deity on Earth. The term was adopted by early virtual reality and gaming pioneers in the 1980s to describe the digital manifestation of a real person descending into a virtual world.

Word relationships

character: 'Character' implies a persona with its own story, while 'avatar' is specifically the player's direct digital proxy or representation.
persona: 'Persona' is a social role or character adopted by a person, whereas 'avatar' is the concrete visual representation of that role in a digital space.

Commonly confused with

profile: A profile is a collection of user data and settings, whereas an avatar is the visual character representing that user.

Collocations

digital avatar
custom avatar
avatar creation
virtual avatar

Example sentences

"She spent hours customizing her avatar, choosing everything from the color of its eyes to the style of its armor." Discussing character customization in an online role-playing game.

Memory hook

Think of the movie 'Avatar', where humans project their minds into blue alien bodies to interact with a new world. An avatar is your digital star in the virtual world.

When not to use

Do not use 'avatar' to refer to a real-world physical representation or a simple photograph of a person, unless it is being used in a digital context.

Fun facts

The term 'avatar' was first used in a video game context in the 1985 game 'Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar', where the player's ethical choices shaped their character.