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

Eleven people gathered in a circle, tentatively following her lead. — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026

Flores is due in federal court on Thursday in the Southern District of New York for a bond hearing, and a trial date has been tentatively set for June 2027. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

This tentatively puts Barkov back in the lineup as early as mid-November. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

At one point, the audience tentatively started clapping then quickly quieted back down. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above