Antonyms for tentative


Grammar : Adj
Spell : ten-tuh-tiv
Phonetic Transcription : ˈtɛn tə tɪv


Definition of tentative

Origin :
  • 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.
  • adj conditional, experimental
  • adj indefinite, uncertain
Example sentences :
  • "Porter tells me Lucretia is good business," said Danby, in a tentative tone.
  • Extract from : « Thoroughbreds » by W. A. Fraser
  • At length the most daring of the "patriots" emitted a tentative hiss.
  • Extract from : « Camps, Quarters and Casual Places » by Archibald Forbes
  • Then he took a tentative step and lifted his hand from its support.
  • Extract from : « Louisiana Lou » by William West Winter
  • As his words are few and his manner reticent and tentative, so must the style of his interpreter be.
  • Extract from : « The Republic » by Plato
  • Then he broke in upon the tentative conversation which follows an introduction.
  • Extract from : « The Dominant Strain » by Anna Chapin Ray
  • She offered him this assurance with a tentative smile, into which he gazed moodily.
  • Extract from : « The Market-Place » by Harold Frederic
  • A tentative, uncertain intimacy was springing up between us two.
  • Extract from : « Chance » by Joseph Conrad
  • The tentative period was over; all our arrangements had been perfected.
  • Extract from : « The Arrow of Gold » by Joseph Conrad
  • Perhaps a tentative solution is all that is possible in the present stage of our knowledge.
  • Extract from : « John Lyly » by John Dover Wilson
  • She had understood her father's wistful looks and tentative speeches.
  • Extract from : « Mary Gray » by Katharine Tynan

Synonyms for tentative

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019