Is "date" always meant to be romantic

Depends. Does it involve Carbon-14?

There are some cases where it's not. For example, parents will often set up "play dates" when they have very young children. Those are just situations where a number of parents all bring their children to play together while the adults socialize on their own

It doesn’t always mean romantic, but if you say it, the other person will usually assume it means romantic, so I would be careful saying it in non-romantic context. And this is assuming you are talking about the event of a date, and not like a calendar date. For me personally, when I am talking about a date between 2 people, I always mean romantic or I’m being sarcastic about it (e.g., if someone says they will come over on Tuesday to drop something off, I might replay “alright, it’s a date”).

That reminds me of the time when i played sonic heroes as a kid, sonic says along the lines , " We have a date with eggman too." I used to think date means to meet up in that context but now i wonder if it's some corny joke about having a romantic date with eggman.

No. The word 'date ' is used with several meanings. Original it meant (& still does mean) a specific calendar date. "To date" was verb to say one person had a meeting for a singular instance or more regularly with another, usually romantic, but not always. It was 'time' allocated to the meeting. Like many English words it has several meanings. "A date with the hangman" mean a sentance of death was to be executed at future date.

No, today's date is february 6th. Date is also the name of a fruit.

My doctor joked with me that we were going on a date. ... it was a prostate exam.

Strictly speaking, "date" just means "appointment," e.g. an agreement between two or more people to meet at a specific place at a specific date and time. That use has fallen out of fashion, though, in favor of it meaning specifically a romantic meeting unless there's a modifier attached like "play date," "court date," "gals date," etc. That said, people do use it frequently in an unserious way where calling a particular meeting a date is meant to be funny rather than a real suggestion of a romantic encounter.

It can mean a calendar time, it is the name of a fruit, also regarding meeting someone it can mean special meet event in some contexts

Sometimes people use it sarcastically, but unless you’re obviously making a joke, it will usually be assumed as romantic. Of course, it can also mean a particular month/day combination on the calendar, or it can mean a fruit…

Yes, pretty much.

Date can be romantic, but it can also be used as a date on a calendar (for example, the date today is 6/2/25). Also, just FYI, I don’t expect this to come up a lot, but date is also the name for a fruit

Yes, when used to say you're "going on a date" with someone or if you say "it's a date" or you say you "have a date (with so-and-so)", but there are exceptions. If you qualify it as a "friend-date" or a "play-date", then no. Furthermore, it can be said jokingly/sarcastically such that it means a regular meetup, but only when it's obvious that it can't be romantic. For instance if I said I had a coffee date with Steve, I'm a straight male so it's obviously just a meetup. If I said "I can't make it, I have a date with Janet from HR", it's only obvious that it's just a meeting if the people who hear it know it's not romantic, such as if they know you don't like Janet and that she's probably going to reprimand you for skipping work or something. Without that context, you're talking about a romantic date. If they didn't know that it _can't_ be romantic, you run the risk of people thinking you meant a romantic date, because that's what it means by default

Yes, a "date" is generally always assumed to be romantic. There are exceptions like the noun phrases "play date" etc. or if you're being humourous.

There is a connotation of romance, but other context clues can make it non-romantic, and it is kind of vague and hard to tell, and even native speakers might confuse each other sometimes. I think it would be fair to ask "What kind of date?" if there is some doubt that you want sorted out.

No. Sometimes it's meant to be edible. 😉 But in all seriousness, it depends on context. Usually the situation makes it clear. If it's intended to be romantic, it's romantic. That's the more common usage but far from the only meaning for that kind of date. Like if we just finished playing tennis together and I say "same time next week?" and you say "it's a date!", no romance is implied.

"Date" on its own? 99% of the time. "Date" with a qualifier (like "play date", "coffee date", etc.)? Depends on the context.

With no qualifier, it's generally assumed to be romantic. But you can add a description in front of it and it's more ambiguous. I wouldn't assume a lunch date or dinner date was romantic, though it certainly could be. My sister sometimes calls our outings "sister dates", which is obviously not romantic!

No. I go out on dates with my mom and siblings all of the time. They are better than romantic dates imo.

No date is also a fruit and can be used for saying: Oh yeah the date today is ____ (example Friday the 20th)

Nah they can be eaten too

No it's just as specific date and time

English teacher here 🙋‍♀️ The word “date” is often associated with romance, but it actually has multiple meanings depending on the context. - “Date” as a Romantic Meeting 💕 In everyday conversation, especially in Western cultures, when someone says “I have a date,” it usually means they are going on a romantic outing with someone they are interested in. - “Date” as a Social or Casual Meeting 👥 Not all dates are romantic! In some cases, people use “date” more loosely to refer to a planned meeting or appointment with a friend or even a group. - “Date” as a Specific Day on the Calendar 📅 The most neutral meaning of the word refers to a specific day in time. - “Date” as a Type of Fruit 🌴 Now my favorite type of a “date”. 😂 A date is also a sweet fruit that comes from the date palm tree, commonly eaten in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Hope this helps clarify things! 😊 If you’d like more help with grammar, vocabulary, speaking or just someone to practice with regularly so you can learn English super fast and effectively go check out with my English courses on my website. The first trial lesson is completely free. I hope that helped! 🥰 [https://the-english-lounge.com](https://the-english-lounge.com)

Typically, yes. I used to have nights out with my friends that we would call "friend dates," but it was mostly a joke because most people we ran into assumed we were a couple even though he is probably one of the least gay guys I have ever met.

It is also a fruit.

No, sometimes it refers to the day of the month.  But "going on a date" is romantic.

Talking about a meeting between 2 people, yes. Talking about the calendar, no, unless it’s Feb 14 lol

No, "date" is context dependent, assuming we're talking about the usage that relates to meeting someone (and not a day on the calendar). It certainly can be romantic but we would have to know the usage. People can also just be talking, agree to a plan/event, and say "it's a date!" simply meaning "I agree! Let's do that!". People also use "date" to talk about doing something fun with their pet or their family, a friend, etc.; or even something like getting a massage "I have a date with a massage table tomorrow!". Or it can be sarcastic: "I have a date with the mechanic, again, my car still isn't working". For this example, assume they are being serious about fixing the car and not that they are romantic with the mechanic. Taking a car in for a problem multiple times is very tedious, and the exact opposite of a romantic date, thus the sarcasm.

Just to add to the other comments about alternstive meanings, there's a fruit named a "date" as well.