tentativeness

noun

ten·​ta·​tive·​ness ˈten-tə-tiv-nəs 

: the quality or state of being tentative or hesitant : hesitancy, uncertainty

heard a tentativeness in her voice

… we also have trouble comprehending the meaning of "hope" as that word is used in the New Testament; for us the term always seems to include an element of uncertainty and tentativeness.

—Herbert W. Chilstrom

Examples of tentativeness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If this has proved conflicting, Gibney does not let on, marching from sacred target to sacred target with little apparent tentativeness. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

This time around, the reaction revealed a familiar tentativeness. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 July 2026

Emilia’s tentativeness around her father is a red flag, and so is the fact that the two haven’t seen each other for 13 years. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2026

That fall, writing in the Times, a leading dance critic commented, Charlotte Garbinski, usually so voluptuously wild in Luciano Fiore’s boundary-pushing choreography, evinced a rare tentativeness. — Literary Hub, 7 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

tentative entry 1 + -ness

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tentativeness

• representativeness