tentative

[ ten-tuh-tiv ]

/ ˈtɛn tə tɪv /

SEE 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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM tentative

ten·ta·tive·ly, adverb ten·ta·tive·ness, noun non·ten·ta·tive, adjective non·ten·ta·tive·ly, adverb

non·ten·ta·tive·ness, noun pre·ten·ta·tive, adjective

Words nearby tentative

tent trailer, tentacle, tentacled, tentage, tentation, tentative, tented, tenter, tenterhook, tenterhooks, tenth

Example sentences from the Web for tentative

When on August 7, 2013 Future finally did share a tentative date, he also made a significant change.

Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists |Luke Hopping |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The tentative location of the quarantine (which is “still to be defined”) is Casablanca.

$10,000 a Month for Ebola Fighters |Abby Haglage |October 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In the Peach State, Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former Senator Sam Nunn, appears to have scratched out a tentative lead.

What Do Women Want? Not the GOP |Lloyd Green |September 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Torn between so many different impulses, Tomlinson Hill ends up as tentative as our country itself.

Slaves In A Family's Past Haunt The Present |Michael Signer |August 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Second, Ukraine has been a tentative ally of Moscow and a huge trading partner,fourth in imports and sixth in export to Russia.

A Ukrainian-American Watches Putin from Kiev and Wonders What’s Next for Ukraine |Roman Skaskiw |March 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He knew it wasn't Joyce; there was something unsure and tentative about the whisper of thought.

The Psilent Partner |John Victor Peterson
Hunterleys did not appear to notice the tentative movement of the other's hand.

Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo |E. Phillips Oppenheim
The new response is exploratory and tentative, while habit is fixed and definite.

Psychology |Robert S. Woodworth
The above rotation is simply suggested as a tentative expedient.

The Cocoanut |William S. Lyon
About eight in the morning, there was a tentative tap on my door.

Highways in Hiding |George Oliver Smith

British Dictionary definitions for tentative

tentative

/ (ˈtɛntətɪv) /

adjective

provisional or experimental; conjectural

hesitant, uncertain, or cautious

Derived forms of tentative

tentatively, adverb tentativeness, noun

Word Origin for tentative

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

tentative

adjective

Origin of tentative

OTHER WORDS FROM tentative

Words nearby tentative

Example sentences from the Web for tentative

British Dictionary definitions for tentative

adjective

Derived forms of tentative

Word Origin for tentative

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

tentative

adjective

Origin of tentative

OTHER WORDS FROM tentative

Words nearby tentative

Words related to tentative

Example sentences from the Web for tentative

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for tentative

adjective

Derived forms of tentative

Word Origin for tentative

British Dictionary definitions for tentative