tentativeness
noun
ten·ta·tive·ness
ˈten-tə-tiv-nəs 
: the quality or state of being tentative or hesitant : hesitancy, uncertainty
heard a tentativeness in her voice
… we also have trouble comprehending the meaning of "hope" as that word is used in the New Testament; for us the term always seems to include an element of uncertainty and tentativeness.—
Herbert W. Chilstrom
Herbert W. ChilstromExamples of tentativeness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But there’s a tentativeness to the portrayal, a watering down of the fraternal volatility that ultimately makes Booth so dangerous.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
That's all good, but there's a sense of tentativeness in this announcement.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
There’s a tentativeness to Bohmer’s comic outlandishness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
His performance that night was hardly a home run, but Biden’s tentativeness was understandable.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for tentativeness
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Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
That's all good, but there's a sense of tentativeness in this announcement.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2025
There’s a tentativeness to Bohmer’s comic outlandishness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
His performance that night was hardly a home run, but Biden’s tentativeness was understandable.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 24 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for tentativeness
Cite this Entry
“Tentativeness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentativeness. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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