vanilla

1 of 2

noun

va·​nil·​la və-ˈni-lə  -ˈne- 

1

a

: vanilla bean

b

: a commercially important extract of the vanilla bean that is used especially as a flavoring

2

: any of a genus (Vanilla) of tropical American climbing epiphytic orchids

vanilla

2 of 2

adjective

1

: flavored with vanilla

2

: lacking distinction : plain, ordinary, conventional

Did you know?

How did vanilla get such a bad rap? The flavor with that name certainly has enough fans, with the bean of the Vanilla genus of orchids finding its way into products ranging from ice cream to coffee to perfumes to air fresheners. Vanilla's unfortunate reputation arose due to its being regarded as the "basic" flavor among ice-cream selections, particularly as more complex flavors emerged on the market. (Its somewhat beigey color probably didn't help.) From there, people began using the adjective to describe anything plain, ordinary, or conventional.

Synonyms

Adjective

• beige
• characterless
• faceless
• featureless
• indistinctive
• neutral
• noncommittal
• nondescript

Examples of vanilla in a Sentence

Noun

The frosting is flavored with vanilla.

Adjective

The décor is pretty vanilla.

a plain vanilla version of a song that's been recorded more times than necessary

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The flavors are classic Booker’s, with notes of brown sugar, grain, caramel, molasses, vanilla, and black pepper on the palate. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024

The fruit is mashed, then bound into tender muffin form with whole-wheat flour and egg, perfumed with cinnamon and vanilla, and textured with a crunch of pecans, for a cakelike experience that is nourishing, too. —Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024

Review: This stuff smells like vanilla cream cheese frosting on a carrot cake. —Marilyn La Jeunesse, Glamour, 16 Apr. 2024

Using an offset spatula, spread the vanilla frosting on one-half of the bottom (flat) side of the cookie. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024

Better than its effect is its two iconic flavors: cherry and vanilla. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

Newsroom staff declared Costco to have the best vanilla sheet cake and rotisserie chicken, while Sam’s Club had the best butter croissants. —Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

There are also notes of black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, peach, and bright citrus on the palate that round it out and add complexity. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024

Area 52’s Delta 8 THC Tincture - Cherry or vanilla? —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Spanish vainilla "the vanilla plant and fruit," diminutive of vaina "sheath, pod," going back to Latin vāgīna "scabbard, sheath"; replacing earlier vaynilla, borrowed from Spanish

First Known Use

Noun

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vanilla

• plain-vanilla
• vanilla bean

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Kids Definition

vanilla

noun

va·​nil·​la

və-ˈnil-ə,

-ˈnel-

: a flavoring made from the long pods of a tropical American climbing orchid

also : this orchid or one of the same genus

Medical Definition

vanilla

noun

va·​nil·​la və-ˈnil-ə  -ˈnel- 

1

a

: vanilla bean

b

: a commercially important extract of the vanilla bean that is prepared by soaking comminuted vanilla beans in water and ethyl alcohol and that is used especially as a flavoring (as in pharmaceutical preparations)

2

: any of a genus (Vanilla) of tropical American climbing orchids