tentative
of the nature of or made or done as a trial, experiment, or attempt; experimental: a tentative report on her findings.
unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant: a tentative smile on his face.
Origin of tentative
1Other words from tentative
- ten·ta·tive·ly, adverb
- ten·ta·tive·ness, noun
- non·ten·ta·tive, adjective
- non·ten·ta·tive·ness, noun
- pre·ten·ta·tive, adjective
Words Nearby tentative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tentative in a sentence
Barrera said a tentative agreement is now in place and the union’s board is set to vote on final approval of the plan later this week.
The County Is Rethinking a Major Coronavirus Trigger | Will Huntsberry | September 9, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoCEOs must prioritize the health and wellbeing of employees when planning a tentative reopening date, and even aim to set a longer-term date so that their teams can plan out their lives and remain productive in the interim.
I’m a physician and a CEO. Why I won’t bring my employees back to the office before Labor Day 2021 | matthewheimer | August 26, 2020 | FortuneHis ruling is tentative so von Wilpert could persuade him to change his mind.
Politics Report: A Poll and a Court Ruling in Key Council Race | Scott Lewis | August 22, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe union stressed that it was tentative and its members still had not ratified the agreement as of Friday.
Politics Report: Mara Elliott, Plumber | Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts | August 1, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe impending return of baseball has fans everywhere excited, but it has also set off a series of more specific, if still tentative, celebrations.
The Dodgers’ Legacy May Depend On This Short Season | Robert O'Connell | July 13, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
When on August 7, 2013 Future finally did share a tentative date, he also made a significant change.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists | Luke Hopping | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe tentative location of the quarantine (which is “still to be defined”) is Casablanca.
In the Peach State, Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former Senator Sam Nunn, appears to have scratched out a tentative lead.
Torn between so many different impulses, Tomlinson Hill ends up as tentative as our country itself.
Instead Hollywood remains tentative, depending on women-friendly filmmakers like Cukor, Hawks, and now Feig to push the envelope.
'Ghostbusters' and the Slow Emancipation of Female-Driven Comedy | Teo Bugbee | August 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe present translation is necessarily tentative in many places, but it is hoped marks an advance over those already published.
The Oldest Code of Laws in the World | Hammurabi, King of BabylonA tentative cry issued from the baby; a bass exclamation issued from Jed Lewis.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandAs some small, tentative contribution to the understanding of this under-life, the plan of this volume has been designed.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanSince she was evidently a woman of pronounced character, her bewilderment and tentative attitude were not allowed for.
The Daughters of Danaus | Mona CairdAverage Jones' still untouched glass, almost full of the precious port, trembled and sang a little tentative response.
Average Jones | Samuel Hopkins Adams
British Dictionary definitions for tentative
/ (ˈtɛntətɪv) /
provisional or experimental; conjectural
hesitant, uncertain, or cautious
Origin of tentative
1Derived forms of tentative
- tentatively, adverb
- tentativeness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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