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

South Carolina would be first, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and then Virginia, under the calendar tentatively approved by the Democratic National Committee leaders. — Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

And there’s also a lovely, unexpected romance in there waiting to tentatively reveal itself … As for Reacher himself, his deadpan humor remains impeccable. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026

Another judge dealt the backers of the measure a second loss by tentatively finding that their description of the measure, submitted for the official state voter’s guide, was misleading. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

But while national leaders and diplomats work to free up crucial waterways through which much of the world’s trade passes, another transport phenomenon is tentatively underway. — Firmesk Rahim, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above