adjective
- of the nature of or made or done as a trial, experiment, or attempt; experimental: a tentative report on her findings.
- unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant: a tentative smile on his face.
adjective
- provisional or experimental; conjectural
- hesitant, uncertain, or cautious
adj.1580s, from Medieval Latin tentativus “trying, testing,” from Latin tentatus, past participle of tentare “to feel, try,” (variant of temptare “to feel, try, test”). Related: Tentatively.