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

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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and resentment of the people to whom he spoke, but his words were somehow tentative and contingent, as if they could be withdrawn on a month's notice.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
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
The cost was pegged at about $80 million with tentative, public financing of about $15 million. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 20 Mar. 2025 Diaz, who was in Chicago, said the two sides could reach a tentative contract agreement for United’s 28,000 flight attendants within months. — Ted Reed, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025 The company reached a tentative agreement to sell its intellectual property to investment firm Content Partners for $365 million but the figure is a baseline. — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025 The city and Boston Public Schools have reached a tentative three-year agreement with the Boston Teachers Union that includes pay hikes for all educators, according to an email sent by the mayor and two school officials. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 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

tentative
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Cite this Entry

“Tentative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentative. Accessed 25 Mar. 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

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