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

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

Chris Sale was tentatively scheduled to pitch just five innings Wednesday in his final tuneup before postseason baseball. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 24 Sep. 2026

The next step will be a preliminary engineering study tentatively scheduled for spring 2027. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Impelled by increasing discontent, the Americans and Soviets tentatively entered arms-control discussions. — Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above