tentatively
Americanadverb
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as a trial, experiment, or attempt.
Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the 8th of June.
-
in a hesitant or uncertain manner.
She spoke tentatively, but apparently thought better of it and stopped.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tentatively
Explanation
Tentatively means "hesitantly," like how you go about a delicate or dangerous situation. It also refers to uncertainty, like when you tentatively make plans to go to a party, even though you don't have a ride yet. It makes sense that the English adverb tentatively stems from the Latin tentare, "to feel, try," because to do something tentatively means to test it out. Think of how you slowly wade into a freezing cold pool. You’re moving tentatively, because you know it’s going to be a shock and you want to give your body time to adjust. The opposite of tentatively is certainly, a word that indicates no hesitation.
Vocabulary lists containing tentatively
The Giver
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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A Raisin in the Sun
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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.
Traffic had tentatively begun moving through the critical shipping lane this week, including three Saudi-flagged supertankers that together were carrying more than six million barrels of crude, Kpler ship-tracking data showed on Thursday.
From Barron's • Jun. 20, 2026
That meeting has tentatively been scheduled for Aug. 20, according to Community and Economic Development Director Miranda Evans, who was permanently appointed to the role last week after serving as interim director since February.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
She has tentatively started another novel but has "a superstition talking about things that I haven't finished yet".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
These are generally about other people, or being embedded in the band, and rays of light are allowed to break through, if sometimes tentatively.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Keeping an eye on the old soldier, Jonathan tentatively plucked at the rope that held him.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
Definitions 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.
