vanilla
gb/vənˈɪlə/ us/vənˈɪlə/
A2
English
~ 9600
vanília, vaníliakivonat, alap, módosítatlan, vaníliás, hagyományos, vaníliaorchidea, vaníliaszín, vaníliaszínű
NOUN
A2
1
vanília
A2
Usage pattern:
add [vanilla] to [food or drink]
Stir in a teaspoon of vanilla to give the sauce a richer taste.
Keverj a szószba egy teáskanál vaníliakivonatot, hogy gazdagabb legyen az íze.
I love the warm smell of vanilla when cookies are baking.
Imádom a vanília meleg, édes illatát, amikor sülnek a kekszek.
Use real vanilla extract instead of artificial flavoring for better results.
The recipe calls for one vanilla bean, split and scraped.
This candle has a soft vanilla scent that fills the room.
Learner examples
I put some vanilla in the cake.
A süteménybe tettem egy kis vaníliát.
Do you like the taste of vanilla in your coffee?
Szereted a vanília ízét a kávédban?
The kitchen smells like vanilla and sugar.
She bought real vanilla instead of cheap flavor.
This ice cream has a very strong vanilla taste.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the plant with the flavoring and say things like *I added some vanilla plant to the cake*. Use *vanilla* or *vanilla extract* for the flavoring in cooking. Also, in many recipes *vanilla* on its own usually means *vanilla extract*.
Meaning
sweet flavoring from vanilla beans
Collocations
vanilla extract
|vanilla flavor
|vanilla bean
|vanilla sugar
|vanilla essence
|smell of vanilla
Synonyms
vanilla flavoring (More explicit and slightly more technical; clearly refers to the added flavor substance, not the plant.)
Antonyms
chocolate (A contrasting common flavor often mentioned together with vanilla, especially in ice cream and desserts.)
Themes
food
|cooking
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
A sweet flavor from a plant, used in ice cream, cakes, drinks, and sometimes in perfume.
A sweet, creamy-tasting flavoring made from the seed pods of certain tropical orchids, commonly used in desserts, drinks, and perfumes.
B2
2
alap
A2
módosítatlan
B2
Usage pattern:
a vanilla [product or version]
The free plan is a vanilla version of the software with limited tools.
Az ingyenes csomag a szoftver alapverziója, korlátozott eszközökkel.
We started with a vanilla design and customized it later.
Egy alapdizájnból indultunk ki, és később testre szabtuk.
I’m just using the vanilla app without any plug-ins.
This contract is pretty vanilla, with no unusual clauses.
The movie’s plot is a bit too vanilla for my taste.
Learner examples
I bought the vanilla model without extra options.
Az alapmodellt vettem meg, extrák nélkül.
The game is more fun with mods than in its vanilla state.
A játék modokkal szórakoztatóbb, mint módosítatlan állapotában.
We offer a vanilla package and a premium package.
He chose the vanilla plan because it was cheaper.
This phone has a vanilla Android system.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this meaning is about the taste of vanilla. In this sense, *vanilla* is not about flavor; it means something is simple or standard. Do not say *vanilla taste* when you mean *basic* or *simple* in a non-food context.
Meaning
plain, basic, without extras
Collocations
vanilla version
|vanilla product
|vanilla option
|vanilla software
|vanilla build
|pretty vanilla
Synonyms
basic (Very close in meaning; can also sound slightly negative or slangy in some contexts, while *vanilla* often sounds more neutral or technical.)
Antonyms
feature-rich (Describes something that has many added features, the opposite of a plain or basic version.)
Themes
daily life
|technology
|business
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Definition
Plain and basic; the normal kind, without extra features or special parts.
Used to describe something that is plain, basic, or the standard version, with no special or extra features.
NOUN
A2
3
Usage pattern:
[vanilla] as a flavor choice for [food or drink]
I’ll have a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of strawberry.
Kérek egy gombóc vaníliát és egy gombóc epret.
The kids argued over whether to buy chocolate or vanilla.
A gyerekek azon vitatkoztak, hogy csokoládésat vagy vaníliásat vegyenek.
She ordered a large vanilla with extra sprinkles.
Do you want vanilla or mint in your milkshake?
He prefers plain vanilla over any fancy flavors.
Learner examples
I like vanilla more than chocolate.
Jobban szeretem a vaníliát, mint a csokoládét.
We ate vanilla after dinner.
Vacsora után vaníliafagylaltot ettünk.
She bought a big vanilla for the party.
You can choose vanilla or mango ice cream.
He drinks a cold vanilla every afternoon.
Common mistake:
Some learners say *vanilla taste ice cream* instead of *vanilla ice cream*. In English, we usually put *vanilla* directly before the noun: *vanilla ice cream*, *vanilla milkshake*, *vanilla latte*.
Meaning
food or drink with vanilla flavor
Collocations
vanilla ice cream
|vanilla milkshake
|vanilla latte
|scoop of vanilla
|vanilla cupcake
Synonyms
vanilla ice cream (More specific; clearly refers only to ice cream, while *vanilla* alone can refer to other foods or drinks with vanilla flavor.)
Antonyms
chocolate ice cream (A commonly contrasted flavor, especially when choosing between ice cream types.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
Ice cream, a drink, or another sweet food where the main flavor is vanilla.
A food or drink, especially ice cream or a sweet item, whose main flavor is vanilla.
C1
SLANG
4
hagyományos
B1
vanília
C1
Usage pattern:
vanilla [sex or relationship]
They joked that their love life was pretty vanilla compared to their friends’.
Azzal viccelődtek, hogy a szerelmi életük a barátaikéhoz képest elég hagyományos.
The article explains how the term ‘vanilla sex’ became popular online.
A cikk elmagyarázza, hogyan vált népszerűvé az interneten a „vanília szex” kifejezés.
He prefers to keep things vanilla in the bedroom.
She was surprised to learn that her supposedly vanilla partner had many fantasies.
The show contrasts a vanilla couple with a more experimental one.
Learner examples
They say their sex life is very vanilla.
Azt mondják, nagyon hagyományos a szexuális életük.
He does not like kinky things; he likes vanilla sex.
Nem szereti a kinki dolgokat; a hagyományos szexet kedveli.
Some people are happy with a vanilla relationship.
The book talks about both vanilla and non-vanilla sex.
She thought he was vanilla, but he was not.
Common mistake:
Learners may wrongly think this has to do with the flavor. In this slang use, *vanilla* has nothing to do with taste; it only means *simple* or *conventional*, usually about sex. It is informal and should be avoided in formal writing or polite conversation.
Meaning
sexually conventional or not adventurous
Collocations
vanilla sex
|vanilla relationship
|pretty vanilla
|too vanilla
|seems vanilla
Synonyms
conventional (More general and neutral; can describe many areas of life, not just sex, and sounds less slangy.)
Antonyms
kinky (Informal; describes sexual practices that are more unusual or adventurous, often seen as the opposite of *vanilla* in this context.)
Themes
relationships
|sexuality
|health
Definition
Describes sex that is normal and simple, without unusual or adventurous things.
Describes sexual behavior or preferences that are conventional and not adventurous, especially compared with practices considered unusual or kinky.
NOUN
B2
5
vanília
A2
Usage pattern:
grow [vanilla] for [flavoring or pods]
Madagascar is famous for its high-quality vanilla.
Madagaszkár híres a kiváló minőségű vaníliájáról.
Farmers hand-pollinate vanilla orchids to increase yield.
A gazdák kézzel porozzák be a vaníliaorchideákat, hogy növeljék a hozamot.
The price of natural vanilla has risen as the plants are difficult to grow.
Each dried vanilla pod comes from a flower that was carefully pollinated.
They visited a plantation to see how vanilla is cultivated and cured.
Learner examples
Vanilla grows in hot, wet places.
A vanília forró, nedves helyeken nő.
The vanilla plant gives long pods.
A vanílianövény hosszú hüvelyeket hoz.
Real vanilla comes from a plant, not a factory.
They saw many vanilla vines on the farm.
Workers dry the vanilla pods in the sun.
Common mistake:
Learners often do not realize *vanilla* is also the name of the plant, not only the flavor. When talking about farming or plants, use *vanilla* or *vanilla orchid*, not *vanilla flavor*.
Meaning
orchid plant providing vanilla pods
Collocations
vanilla orchid
|vanilla plantations
|vanilla pods
|vanilla vines
|cultivated vanilla
Synonyms
vanilla orchid (More specific and technical; clearly refers to the plant species.)
Antonyms
synthetic vanilla (Refers to artificial vanilla flavor produced chemically instead of from the plant.)
Themes
nature
|food
|food_drink
Definition
A tropical plant with long pods that are used to make natural vanilla flavor.
A tropical climbing orchid whose long seed pods are used to produce natural vanilla flavoring.
NOUN
B1
6
vaníliaszín
B1
vaníliaszínű
B1
Usage pattern:
a vanilla [wall / sweater / color]
We chose a soft vanilla for the living-room walls.
Lágy vaníliaszínt választottunk a nappali falaira.
Her dress was a warm vanilla that matched her shoes.
A ruhája meleg vaníliaszínű volt, és illett a cipőjéhez.
The designer recommended vanilla instead of pure white to make the room feel calmer.
He painted the kitchen cabinets a vanilla shade to brighten the space.
The catalog shows the sofa in gray, beige, and vanilla.
Learner examples
The walls are a light vanilla color.
A falak világos vaníliaszínűek.
She wore a vanilla sweater with blue jeans.
Vaníliaszínű pulóvert viselt kék farmerrel.
I like vanilla more than bright white on the ceiling.
We bought vanilla paint for the bedroom.
This carpet is a soft vanilla shade.
Common mistake:
Learners may think *vanilla color* must be yellow. In design, *vanilla* usually means a very light, creamy off‑white, not a strong yellow.
Meaning
light creamy yellow-white color
Collocations
vanilla walls
|vanilla paint
|vanilla shade
|vanilla sweater
|soft vanilla
Synonyms
cream (A very close color term; *cream* is more common, while *vanilla* adds a slightly warmer or more specific image.)
Antonyms
charcoal (A dark gray color that contrasts strongly with light vanilla tones.)
Themes
colors
|design
|fashion
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A very light cream color, almost white, like vanilla ice cream.
A very pale creamy yellow-white color, similar to the color of vanilla ice cream or custard.
Grammar
Dictionary form
vanilla
IPA
GB/vənˈɪlə/
US/vənˈɪlə/
Syllables & stress
vanilla (1 syllable)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: vanilla
- Plural: vanilla, vanillas
Word family
Forms
vanillas
noun
Advanced or less common
vanillin
noun
Expressions
anything but vanilla
1/ˈɛniθˌɪŋ bˈʌt vənˈɪlə/
idiom
informal
not plain or not conventional
Used to say that someone or something is not simple or boring, but interesting, unusual, or different.
Examples
- Her style is anything but vanilla, with bright colors and bold patterns.
- The plot is anything but vanilla, full of strange twists and surprises.
- Despite his quiet job, his life outside the office is anything but vanilla.
plain vanilla
1/plˈeɪn vənˈɪlə/
fixed phrase
simple standard version without extras
Used to describe something that is simple and standard, without extra features, changes, or special parts.
Examples
- The bank only offers plain vanilla mortgages with very basic terms.
- We’re just looking for a plain vanilla solution that works, nothing fancy.
- He signed a plain vanilla contract with no special conditions.
vanilla sex
1/vənˈɪlə sˈɛks/
fixed phrase
slang
conventional, non-kinky sexual activity
Sex that is normal and simple, without unusual, extreme, or very adventurous practices.
Examples
- The article discusses why many couples are happy with vanilla sex.
- They joked that their relationship is all about trust, good food, and vanilla sex.
- The show contrasts characters who enjoy vanilla sex with others who explore kinks.