vanilla ice cream

Plain frozen dessert

Vanilla ice cream is frozen dessert flavored with vanilla, the most common and popular variety of ice cream.

Its ubiquity makes vanilla a byword for plain or conventional: vanilla ice cream is the default.

The phrase sometimes appears in contexts emphasizing simplicity or lack of adventurousness: He always orders vanilla ice cream—never tries anything new.

Related

sprinkles · chocolate · strawberry · cookie dough · waffle · soft serve · milkshake · frozen · dessert · sweet · parlor · summer · melting · lick · brain freeze · swirl · custard · cherry

Categories
Opposites
flavor variety

vanilla ice creamchocolate ice cream

Frozen cocoa-flavored dairy

strawberry ice cream · pistachio ice cream · coffee ice cream · mint chocolate chip · rocky road

complexity/boldness

vanilla ice creameverything but the kitchen sink

Almost all possible items

banana split · death by chocolate

METAPHORICAL MEANING (plain/conventional)

vanilla ice creamwild

Not domesticated or controlled

exotic · kinky · adventurous · edgy · unconventional

Family

vanilla, cream, vanillas, vanillin, icier, creams, creamed, creaming, creamy

Familiarity
Top 20,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G