tentatively

adverb

ten·​ta·​tive·​ly ˈten-tə-tiv-lē 

: with hesitancy or uncertainty : in a tentative manner

He tentatively agreed to the deal.

Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long mako shark …. Tentatively, I touched its dorsal fin.

—Rick Riordan

Once upon a time, tech titans would tentatively suggest, "Our technology can improve your life" …

—Kentaro Toyama

The network has announced a new series, tentatively titled The Fashion Show …

—Lyndon Stambler

Examples of tentatively in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The economists project two cuts of 25 basis points each, tentatively penciled in for Fed meetings in March and June next year. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 10 Dec. 2025

The new location is tentatively scheduled to open in mid-December, pending final inspections. —Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Margolyes, who flew from Italy to film for four days, plays a lonely widow whose daily routine is tentatively then tenderly disrupted by a 17-year-old who accidentally kicked a football into her garden. —Natalie Jamieson, Variety, 6 Dec. 2025

Lewis’ preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for next week. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above