tentative

[ten-tuh-tiv]

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.

tentative

/ ˈtɛntətɪv /

adjective

1. provisional or experimental; conjectural

2. hesitant, uncertain, or cautious

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tentative¹

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of tentative¹

C16: from Medieval Latin tentātīvus, from Latin tentāre to test

Example Sentences

These tentative revisions were also announced days before the teaching artists voted to unionize, under the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

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"Rare earths are likely to remain at the centre of future Sino-US economic negotiations despite the tentative agreements thus far," Heron Lim told AFP.

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Instead, what connects both failures was the fact they were again both drives - the first aggressive swish edged to the slips before a more tentative push.

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Then, lifting one spindly leg at a time, she took a tentative step toward them.

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A planned labor strike by University of California nurses has been called off after the university system and the nurses’ union reached a tentative deal on pay and benefits, both groups announced Sunday.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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