as in boring
lacking in distinctive features or qualities
a plain vanilla version of a song that's been recorded more times than necessary
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Recent Examples of vanilla
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
See All Example Sentences for vanilla
Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for vanilla
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vanilla
Adjective
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This season has an annoying habit of taking what is an easy vote, trying to confuse us into getting excited that something interesting is going to happen, only for the easy and most boring thing to happen in the end.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
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The boring machine can excavate to extreme depths, according to a report.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Civale entered Tuesday’s game with close to neutral splits, though, so Boone opted for Rosario in a low-risk, high-reward possibility.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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With Ryan McMahon struggling and a neutral right-hander in Aaron Civale pitching for the Athletics on Tuesday, Aaron Boone decided to start the righty-swinging Amed Rosario at third base.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The look features a rainbow of rhinestones placed on a solid, often beige, base.—
Jesa Marie Calaor,
Allure,
8 Apr. 2026
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For even more mixing and matching, consider picking up the Ekouaer Knit Lounge Set in the beige color.—
Anna Popp,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That’s because giant hogweed is a member of the carrot family, and its nondescript leaves and white flowers resemble Queen Anne’s lace.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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Behind a nondescript set of gates in Clerkenwell, the studio and home of Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard has always operated a bit like a word-of-mouth secret among the creative set.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The 39th floor penthouse of SoftBank’s downtown Tokyo headquarters is not your usual featureless C-suite.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
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Objects that were invisible to Hubble are easily revealed to JWST; objects that appear blurry to Hubble appear sharp with JWST views; objects that appeared featureless to Hubble have many clear features visible within them as seen by JWST.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vanilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vanilla. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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