1
Core quality
Provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
Example
The evidence supports only a tentative conclusion.
tentative
/ˈtentətɪv/ · TEN-tuh-tivadjective
Provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
Use tentative to express this relationship precisely: provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
What tentative Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The parties reached a tentative agreement.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Researchers proposed a tentative date pending further tests.
Use tentative Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The evidence supports only a tentative conclusion.
The parties reached a tentative agreement.
Researchers proposed a tentative date pending further tests.
Precision Matters
Tentative overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
tentative
vs.Means provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
tenuous
Means weak, slight, or insufficiently supported.
tentative
vs.Means provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
unequivocal
Means completely clear and leaving no room for doubt.
tentative
vs.Means provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
adamant
Means firmly refusing to change a decision, belief, or position.
tentative
vs.Means provisional, hesitant, or not yet certain, fixed, or fully developed.
vacillate
Means alternate indecisively between different opinions, choices, or courses of action.
Test tentative in Context
The identification is provisional rather than firmly established.
1
Because only one fragment has been analysed, the identification remains ___.