tentative
Americanadjective
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of the nature of or made or done as a trial, experiment, or attempt; experimental.
a tentative report on her findings.
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unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant.
a tentative smile on his face.
adjective
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provisional or experimental; conjectural
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hesitant, uncertain, or cautious
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tentative
First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin tentātīvus, equivalent to Latin tentāt(us) (past participle of tentāre, variant of temptāre “to test”; see tempt) + -īvus adjective suffix ( see -ive)
Explanation
Choose the adjective tentative to describe something you are unsure or hesitant about. On Monday, you can make tentative plans for the weekend, but it's too early to commit to one party or another. Tentative, from the Latin tentātīvus, "testing, trying," always describes something that is uncertain. If you make a tentative appointment, write it down in pencil, not pen, because it might have to be changed. Here the opposite of tentative is definite or set. If someone gives you a tentative smile or nod, the person feels hesitant or unsure about something. In this case, its opposite is confident.
Vocabulary lists containing tentative
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Monster
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
CNN has reported that no other outlet was listed as replacing them in the president's tentative schedule.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Sentiment among German businesses rose for a fifth straight month in September to its highest level since May 2023, as the country’s tentative economic recovery holds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
His remarks came amid tentative efforts by Arab mediators to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Unite Here Local 11, the union which represents workers including dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers and SoFi Stadium’s food-service operator Legends Global, came to a tentative agreement days before the first match.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Fadi responded with a tentative nod and looked away.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
