Meaning & use

tentative

adjective·Academic

Not certain or fixed; done cautiously because plans might still change.

See it in a sentence

We made a tentative reservation for eight people, but the number could still change.

She gave a tentative smile, unsure whether the joke had actually been funny.

A note on using this word

Tentative can describe both plans that are not yet final and a person's hesitant, unsure manner or tone.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

definiteconfident

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