tentative

First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin tentātīvus, equivalent to Latin tentāt(us) (past participle of tentāre, variant of temptāre “to test”; see tempt) + -īvus adjective suffix (see -ive)

OTHER WORDS FROM tentative

ten·ta·tive·ly, adverbten·ta·tive·ness, nounnon·ten·ta·tive, adjectivenon·ten·ta·tive·ness, noun

pre·ten·ta·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tentative in a sentence

Musk also provided a tentative timeline for deliveries of Tesla’s Cybertruck, which will be built at a factory still under construction in Austin, Tex.
Tesla beats the Street again as profits, deliveries, and margins surge|dzanemorris|October 21, 2020|Fortune
The first tentative calculation of tunneling time appeared in print in 1932.
Quantum Tunnels Show How Particles Can Break the Speed of Light|Natalie Wolchover|October 20, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Commercial-real estate company Squarefoot has been making tentative steps, like others, to return to its New York office space over the last few months.
‘Most administrative HR roles will be automated in the next few years’: As workplace tech evolves, HR and tech officer roles merge|Lucinda Southern|October 19, 2020|Digiday
Talks between the two companies are ongoing, but if a tentative technology-sharing and manufacturing deal announced last month falls apart, Nikola will revert to a “base plan” without GM’s help, CEO Mark Russell said in an interview late Thursday.
Nikola shares plunge after CEO says startup can go it alone|Verne Kopytoff|October 16, 2020|Fortune

Two months later, the parties informed the court they had reached a tentative settlement.
This Billionaire Governor’s Companies Have Now Reached $140 Million in Lawsuit Settlements and Judgments Over Unpaid Bills|by Ken Ward Jr. and Alex Mierjeski|September 24, 2020|ProPublica
In Libya, the crisis of American tentativeness has grown worse almost by the day.
Obama's Middle East Head Spin|Christopher Dickey, John Barry|April 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But in Libya the crisis of American tentativeness has grown worse almost by the day.
Obama's Middle East Head Spin|Christopher Dickey, John Barry|April 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Lute's eyes were quizzical as she asked with a tentativeness that was palpably assumed, "With—a—with Mr. Barton?"
Moon-Face and Other Stories|Jack London
He did it sketchily, with casual tentativeness, so that when it was found among the papers there would be no suspicions.
The Little Lady of the Big House|Jack London
The fact that he remained standing imparted a tentativeness to the situation.
The Shadow|Arthur Stringer
He nodded and swung away, moving with a peculiar tentativeness.
Operation Terror|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for tentative

tentative

/ (ˈtɛntətɪv) /

adjective

provisional or experimental; conjectural

hesitant, uncertain, or cautious

Derived forms of tentative

tentatively, 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

tentative

Origin of tentative

OTHER WORDS FROM tentative

Words related to tentative

How to use tentative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tentative

Derived forms of tentative

Word Origin for tentative