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

• boring
• neutral
• beige
• nondescript
• featureless

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

Normal service resumed on Oct. 30 2023 with the M3 Pro and M3 Max models, with Oct 30. 2024 seeing the M4 Pro and M4 Max models (alongside the vanilla M4 model). —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

Add a dash of vanilla extract or a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 20 June 2025

Adjective

The court has ruled that the companies must develop a new product formula that does not include vanilla derived from non-vanilla plant sources within 12 months of the settlement’s finalization, according to the news release. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 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

Rhymes for vanilla

• axilla
• flotilla
• gorilla
• guerilla
• guerrilla
• manilla
• mantilla
• maxilla
• mesilla
• papilla
• priscilla
• scintilla

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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