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

Ohtani is at least tentatively scheduled to travel with the Dodgers to Miami for the start of their seven-game trip against the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds, Roberts said. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

The stadium, tentatively named The Railyards, would sit along the Chicago River from Roosevelt Road to 18th Street near the existing Amtrak maintenance facility in the South Loop. — Chris Tye, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Erik and Lyle Menendez were granted on Monday an early parole suitability hearing, tentatively scheduled for March 2027. — Alex Stone, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

Little is known about the Daniels’ new movie, which seems to tentatively be titled Thasnagar. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above