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

Both are excellent as women emerging from a pupa of damage and tentatively fluttering their wings. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

Cassidy is first shown tentatively reconnecting over an Italian meal with Craig (Peter McDonald), a DI who, on the surface, appears to be full of Irish charm. — Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

He tentatively was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, after promising initial reports on his recovery from an injection in his left knee. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026

Low piano notes gather tentatively; sostenuto woodwinds hover just above ground level; a rainstick adds contour and shading. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above