tentative

American  

[ten-tuh-tiv] / ˈtɛn tə tɪv /

adjective

1. of the nature of or made or done as a trial, experiment, or attempt; experimental.

   a tentative report on her findings.

2. unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant.

   a tentative smile on his face.

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tentative British  

/ ˈtɛntətɪv /

adjective

1. provisional or experimental; conjectural

2. hesitant, uncertain, or cautious

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Other Word Forms

• nontentative adjective
• nontentativeness noun
• pretentative adjective
• tentatively adverb
• tentativeness noun

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”; tempt ) + -īvus adjective suffix ( -ive )

Example Sentences

Those efforts paid off this year, with a tentative truce in a trade war with the United States reached when China relaxed stringent export controls on rare earths.

From Barron's

It doesn’t look dynamic; it looks tentative, as if he’s afraid to settle into a line of thought.

From The Wall Street Journal

With Bitcoin now up a bit overnight and up modestly over the past 24 hours, it explains the tentative rebound in equities exposed to digital assets.

From Barron's

But the tentative rebound from those Sunday lows may give some for investors.

From Barron's

Eurozone industrial output grew again in October, as tentative signs of a recovery in Germany ease concerns over the impact of higher U.S. tariffs on Europe’s factories.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cautious
• hesitant
• reluctant
• timid
• unsure
• wobbly