ten·ta·tive

[ten-tuh-tiv]
adjective
1.
of the nature of or made or done as a trial, experiment, or attempt; experimental: a tentative report on her findings.
2.
unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant: a tentative smile on his face.

Origin:
1580–90; < Medieval Latin tentātīvus, equivalent to Latin tentāt(us) (past participle of tentāre, variant of temptāre to test; see tempt) + -īvus -ive

ten·ta·tive·ly, adverb
ten·ta·tive·ness, noun
non·ten·ta·tive, adjective
non·ten·ta·tive·ly, adverb
non·ten·ta·tive·ness, noun
pre·ten·ta·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To tentative
00:10
Tentative is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
tentative (ˈtɛntətɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  provisional or experimental; conjectural
2.  hesitant, uncertain, or cautious
 
[C16: from Medieval Latin tentātīvus, from Latin tentāre to test]
 
'tentatively
 
adv
 
'tentativeness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tentative
1580s, from M.L. tentativus "trying, testing," from L. tentatus, pp. of tentare "to feel, try," (variant of temptare "to feel, try, test"). Related: Tentatively.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Her hair is blonder now, her makeup more expertly done, her once tentative
  smile broad and welcoming.
US consumers picked up spending slightly last month, but they are still
  tentative and their debt levels remain high.
With white satin pageant sashes, they stood at the edge of the dining room,
  more tentative than triumphant.
Even that tentative upturn relied on unparalleled looseness in fiscal and
  monetary policy.
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