Date and appointment

[Ju]

I would say that "date" is used among friends or in a social context while "appointment" is used in a business or professional arena. To make a date with someone does not necessarily have to be with a romantic partner. I will make a date with my friends to go to a movie or to dinner.

1. "I need to make a date with you so that we can study for the test."

2. "Let's make a date to have lunch next week".

Am I correct.

Thanks.

 

[tedmc]

Am I correct?

Yes, you are correct.

 

[emsr2d2]

It doesn't necessarily suggest a romantic entanglement but it does have that connotation. With your two examples, it's not the word "date" that seems unnatural to me. It's the leadup to the word. When I need to arrange something with one of my friends, I usually say something like "We need to sort out lunch. When are you free?". I might say "We need to sort out a date for lunch" or "Let's sort out having lunch next week", but I wouldn't use "Let's make a date" or "I need to make a date with you". That is, however, personal preference. The meaning of both of your sentences is quite clear.

The possible ambiguity of "date" would be more of an issue if you weren't clear about what activity you're talking about. I don't know if you're male or female but, for now, I'll assume you're male. If you said "On Tuesday, I have a date with Sarah", I would assume Sarah was your girlfriend. If you said "On Tuesday, I have a date with John", I would assume John was your boyfriend.