plain vanilla
Standard, nothing special
Plain vanilla describes something basic, standard, or without special features.
The phrase comes from vanilla being the default ice cream flavor—the one you get if you don't specify otherwise.
It often appears in finance and technology: a plain vanilla mortgage, plain vanilla options.
The term can be neutral or mildly dismissive, suggesting something adequate but unexciting: The presentation was plain vanilla—nothing memorable.
- commonWidespread and unremarkable
- simpleFree of complexity
- ordinaryStandard, unremarkable
- swapExchange one for another
- unadornedLacking decoration or ornament
futures · no frills · bare bones · basic · conventional · option · stock · loan · bond · boilerplate · meat and potatoes · bread and butter · mortgage · mild · off-the-shelf · traditional · white bread · standard
plain vanillacustomized
Adapted to specific requirements
elaborate · fancy · bespoke · tricked-out · souped-up
plain vanillaexotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
exciting · extraordinary · remarkable · distinctive · unique
plain vanillaexotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
structured · complex · derivative · leveraged · synthetic
plain, vanilla, plainly, plainness, plains, plainer, plainest