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tentative

1 of 2

adjective

ten·​ta·​tive ˈten-tə-tiv How to pronounce tentative (audio)
Synonyms of tentativenext
1
: not fully worked out or developed
tentative plans
2
: hesitant, uncertain
a tentative smile

tentative

2 of 2

noun

plural tentatives
: something that is uncertain or subject to change : something that is tentative
In war, certainties have a way of becoming tentatives.—The Buffalo (New York) News
Seventy-nine shows have contracts to use the center between now and 2010, with 129 booked with either contracts pending or as tentatives.—Keith Reed

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A "Tentative" Explanation

Tentative is from the Latin tentare (“to attempt”), and its original meaning was “attempted, provisional, experimental.” It is easy to see how this emphasis on trial and error led to the word’s current sense “not fully worked out or developed” (as in "a tentative date," "tentative plans," "a tentative job offer"). The “hesitant, uncertain” sense that is also common nowadays (as in “a tentative knock on the door”) extends the idea of an unripe attempt to the uncertain emotional state of the person making the attempt.

Synonyms

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of tentative in a Sentence

Adjective In the winter, retirees from the Midwest fill the trailer parks. They are known with tentative affection as snowbirds. —William Langewiesche, Atlantic, June 1992
Clearly the President was chastened by the sorrow and resentment of the people to whom he spoke, but his words were somehow tentative and contingent, as if they could be withdrawn on a month's notice. —Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, July 1992
There was a crying need, in the tentative early days of populist toryism, for a voice that could bring the gospel to the lumpen. —Christopher Hitchens, Times Literary Supplement, 30 Nov. 1990
Thus, we have a tentative picture of anatomically modern people arising in Africa over 100,000 years ago, but initially making the same tools as Neanderthals and having no advantage over them. By perhaps 60,000 years ago, some magic twist of behavior had been added to the modern anatomy. —Jared M. Diamond, Discover, May 1989
the baby's first tentative steps We have tentative plans for the weekend.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
This weekend’s tentative agreement is the second time the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and NJ Transit management have shook hands on a wage bump. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025 New Jersey Transit and the union representing its train engineers reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, ending the state's first statewide rail strike in over 40 years. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025 Negotiators for New Jersey Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen reached a tentative labor agreement over the weekend and the engineers are expected to be back at work today. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 19 May 2025 Stacking of multiple tariff layers already implemented during the trade war has pushed up costs to import retail goods much higher than the 30% associated with the tentative agreement. —Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tentative

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin tentātīvus "as a trial, experimental, provisional," from Latin temptātus, tentātus, past participle of temptāre, tentāre "to feel, test, examine" + īvus -ive — more at tempt

Noun

derivative of tentative entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tentative was in 1825

Rhymes for tentative

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Browse Nearby Words

tentation
tentative
tentatively
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tentative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentative. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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Kids Definition

tentative

adjective
ten·​ta·​tive ˈtent-ət-iv How to pronounce tentative (audio)
1
: not fully worked out or developed
tentative plans
2
: hesitant, uncertain
a tentative smile
tentatively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tentative

Nglish: Translation of tentative for Spanish Speakers

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