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tentative

[ten-tuh-tiv]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tentative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

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RELATED WORDS

delay, delaying, doubt, dubiety, equivocation, fluctuation, hesitancy, indecision, indecisiveness, indisposition, irresolution, misgiving, mistrust, oscillation, pause, qualm, reluctance, scruple, shilly-shally, skepticism

Origin of tentative

1580–90; < Medieval Latin tentātīvus, equivalent to Latin tentāt(us) (past participle of tentāre, variant of temptāre to test; see tempt) + -īvus -ive
Related formsten·ta·tive·ly, adverbten·ta·tive·ness, nounnon·ten·ta·tive, adjectivenon·ten·ta·tive·ly, adverbnon·ten·ta·tive·ness, nounpre·ten·ta·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tentativeness

Contemporary Examples of tentativeness

  • In Libya, the crisis of American tentativeness has grown worse almost by the day.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Obama's Middle East Head Spin

    Christopher Dickey, John Barry

    April 22, 2011

  • But in Libya the crisis of American tentativeness has grown worse almost by the day.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Obama's Middle East Head Spin

    Christopher Dickey, John Barry

    April 22, 2011

Historical Examples of tentativeness

  • The fact that he remained standing imparted a tentativeness to the situation.

    The Shadow

    Arthur Stringer

  • Lute's eyes were quizzical as she asked with a tentativeness that was palpably assumed, "With—a—with Mr. Barton?"

British Dictionary definitions for tentativeness

tentative

adjective

provisional or experimental; conjectural
hesitant, uncertain, or cautious
Derived Formstentatively, adverbtentativeness, noun

Word Origin for tentative

C16: from Medieval Latin tentātīvus, from Latin tentāre to test
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
Word Origin and History for tentativeness

tentative

adj.

1580s, from Medieval Latin tentativus "trying, testing," from Latin tentatus, past participle of tentare "to feel, try," (variant of temptare "to feel, try, test"). Related: Tentatively.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper