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
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)
Barrera said a tentative agreement is now in place and the union’s board is set to vote on final approval of the plan later this week.
The County Is Rethinking a Major Coronavirus Trigger|Will Huntsberry|September 9, 2020|Voice of San Diego
CEOs must prioritize the health and wellbeing of employees when planning a tentative reopening date, and even aim to set a longer-term date so that their teams can plan out their lives and remain productive in the interim.
I’m a physician and a CEO. Why I won’t bring my employees back to the office before Labor Day 2021|matthewheimer|August 26, 2020|Fortune
His ruling is tentative so von Wilpert could persuade him to change his mind.
Politics Report: A Poll and a Court Ruling in Key Council Race|Scott Lewis|August 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The union stressed that it was tentative and its members still had not ratified the agreement as of Friday.
Politics Report: Mara Elliott, Plumber|Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts|August 1, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The impending return of baseball has fans everywhere excited, but it has also set off a series of more specific, if still tentative, celebrations.
The Dodgers’ Legacy May Depend On This Short Season|Robert O'Connell|July 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
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, adverbtentativeness, noun
Word Origin for tentative
C16: from Medieval Latin tentātīvus, from Latin tentāre to test