vinaigrette

noun

vin·​ai·​grette ˌvi-ni-ˈgret 

1

: a sauce made typically of oil, vinegar, and seasonings and used especially on salads, cold meats, or fish

called also vinaigrette dressing

2

: a small ornamental box or bottle with perforated top used for holding an aromatic preparation (such as smelling salts)

Examples of vinaigrette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The meal starts with a garden salad including spinach, apples from Apple Hill, Point Reyes blue cheese, cranberries, pecans and a shallot vinaigrette. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025

During her cooking demo with King, the two stars prepared chicken sliders with homemade pimento cheese, a collard salad massaged with a vinaigrette made by the dynamic duo, topped with carrot ribbons, honeycrisp apples, orange wheels and feta cheese. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025

Start with a classic martini — Belvedere, stirred to glacial perfection — and pair it with caviar fries and the anchovy vinaigrette tossed Little Gem salad for a Beverly Hills take on the trinity. —Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025

Cooks use honey to sweeten and moisten baked goods, mellow vinaigrettes, and balance sweet-and-sour sauces. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from vinaigre vinegar

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for vinaigrette

• alphabet
• arpanet
• bayonet
• biuret
• cigarette
• clarinet
• coronet
• coverlet
• dataset
• epithet
• ethernet
• heavyset

Kids Definition

vinaigrette

noun

vin·​ai·​grette ˌvin-i-ˈgret 

: a sauce made of oil, vinegar, and seasonings and used especially on salads, cold meats, or fish