vanilla

American  

[vuh-nil-uh, -nel-uh] / vəˈnɪl ə, -ˈnɛl ə /

noun

vanillas plural

1. any tropical, climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla, especially V. planifolia, bearing podlike fruit yielding an extract used in flavoring food, in perfumery, etc.

2. Also called vanilla bean.  the fruit or bean of this orchid.

3. the extract of this fruit.

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adjective

1. containing or flavored with vanilla.

   vanilla custard.

2. Informal. plain vanilla.

vanilla British  

/ vəˈnɪlə /

noun

1. any tropical climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla, esp V. plonifolia, having spikes of large fragrant greenish-yellow flowers and long fleshy pods containing the seeds (beans)

2. the pod or bean of certain of these plants, used to flavour food, etc

3. a flavouring extract prepared from vanilla beans and used in cooking

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adjective

1. flavoured with or as if with vanilla

   vanilla ice cream

2. slang ordinary or conventional

   a vanilla kind of guy

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• vanillas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vanilla

1655–65; < New Latin < Spanish vainilla little pod, equivalent to vain ( a ) a sheath (< Latin vāgīna sheath) + -illa diminutive suffix (< LL)

Explanation

Vanilla is the flavor for food — such as ice cream — that contains extract from the vanilla plant. This word also describes things that are boring or plain. If something is called vanilla — such as coffee or a milkshake — it's usually flavored with vanilla extract or the seeds from a vanilla pod. Vanilla is the most common flavor of ice cream. This word has another, slightly insulting, meaning: a vanilla movie is plain and kind of boring. A vanilla song is on the blah side. Maybe it's because vanilla food tends to be white and plain that we use this word for other things that are bland.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vanilla vanillas

“These aren’t vanilla managers. They’re some of the best investors in AI, software, robotics, biotech, climate tech, semiconductors, defense tech and frontier technology anywhere in the world,” he wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

"The increase has been phenomenal," she said, blaming shortages of vanilla and soaring chocolate prices for pushing costs "sky high".

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

Edmond Albius devised the hand-pollination technique that made vanilla cultivation commercially viable; he died in poverty after emancipation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

The finished product is indulgent and addictive, flavoring the humble chia seed with freshly brewed Thai tea, maple syrup and vanilla extract, alongside a dollop of homemade coconut whipped cream.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026

Her makeup is done and her hair is perfect, and she's wearing the vanilla perfume she always wears when she goes out, but never when she's inside the house.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Consumer Reports' trained testers recently tried 13 vanillas and 11 chocolates with varying amounts of fat.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 20, 2010

Superpremium makers and feeders might take butterfat for thought from a test of 28 vanillas run a couple of Sundays ago by the Washington Star.

From Time Magazine Archive