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.
Work cleaning the Oceanwide Plaza skyscrapers — known informally as Graffiti Towers — will begin immediately, according to the $517-million sale agreement tentatively approved by a federal judge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Instead, under the sensitive direction of Nicola Murphy Dubey, the later scenes find the characters tentatively forging bridges built by the unexpected and unhappy turns their lives have taken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
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
The firm tentatively plans to be ready to launch the new SpaceX ETFs on the Cboe at 4 a.m.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
Then he added tentatively, “I think it’s for the best.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
