Definition

Proper noun: - A specific holiday for expressing love and affection: Valentine's Day is a fixed annual celebration on February 14th, traditionally dedicated to romantic love, where people often exchange gifts, cards (valentines), flowers, or other tokens of affection with loved ones.

Usage

• Valentine's Day is typically celebrated by couples, but expressions of affection can also be shared among friends and family.
• It is common to send a valentine (a greeting card) or give gifts like chocolates or flowers on this day.
• The day's name is always capitalized as it is a proper noun referring to a specific holiday.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "Valentine's Day massacre": This phrase historically refers to a violent event but is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a disastrous or terribly disappointing Valentine's Day.
  • After they broke up right before the holiday, he called it his personal Valentine's Day massacre.
• The possessive form Valentine's Day (with an apostrophe + s) is the standard and most common spelling, though Valentines Day is sometimes seen informally.

Variants and Related Words

• Valentine (noun): 1. A greeting card or message sent on Valentine's Day. 2. A person to whom one sends such a card or with whom one shares a romantic relationship on this day.
  • She is my valentine this year.
  • I made a homemade valentine for my mom.
• Valentine's (noun, informal): A shortened, possessive form sometimes used to refer to the day or related items.
  • Are you ready for Valentine's?

Synonyms

• Saint Valentine's Day: The full traditional name for the holiday.
• February 14th: The calendar date of the celebration.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To be someone's valentine: To be the person whom someone chooses to honor or celebrate with on Valentine's Day.
  • Will you be my valentine?
• Valentine's Day gift/card/date: Common compound terms specifying items or events associated with the day.

Noun

1. a day for the exchange of tokens of affection