How to Use tentative in a Sentence

tentative

adjective
  • We have tentative plans for the weekend.
  • And the road to even a tentative agreement has been a rocky one.
    — NBC News, 12 Feb. 2020
  • Full text of the tentative deal can be read online.
    — Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
  • Charleigh placed a tentative foot on the white carpet.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
  • The space is ready for when the center opens in the fall, which is the tentative plan.
    — Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
  • All three unions have pledged to go out if any of the three does not achieve a tentative agreement.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
  • That could put him on track for a tentative return within about two weeks.
    — Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2021
  • The tentative deal came over the weekend.
    — Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • At first, his movement is a little tentative, full of stops and starts.
    — New York Times, 12 Jan. 2021
  • Some writers might be tentative about the limelight, but not him.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2021
  • As of now, this is Vonn’s tentative race schedule.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
  • His movements were a little tentative, his shots didn't look quite right.
    — David Brandt, Star Tribune, 8 June 2021
  • Pump prices have remained high this week, despite a tentative cease fire.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The judge has set a tentative trial date of May 6.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Here the answer was a nervous and tentative yes.
    — Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The wife raises her own hand in tentative reply.
    — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Union members still need to approve the tentative deal and no word on when the vote would take place.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Despite the tentative agreement, not all states are on board.
    — Jared Gans, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2026
  • This was the original tentative plan but no longer.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The tentative consensus so far seems to be yes.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The union must now approve the five-year tentative agreement.
    — Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The original board even depicts the tentative steps of a boy in a leg brace.
    — Alexander B. Joy, The Atlantic, 28 July 2019
  • There have been a few tentative discoveries in the mass gap so far.
    — quantamagazine.org, 27 Jan. 2021
  • In the months leading up to this moment, a few tentative steps had been taken.
    — Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
  • That first tentative step a child takes eventually gives way to a run.
    — oregonlive, 8 June 2020
  • The same is true of Jae Crowder, who has been very tentative.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, 3 Nov. 2017
  • Their legal battle has a tentative trial date set for next year.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2022
  • The tentative contract still needs to be voted on by its members.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2026
  • The entire defence looks more tentative, less self-assured than a year ago.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Click here for a tentative beer list, and here for subject-to-change summer cocktails.
    — Benjy Egel, sacbee, 2 July 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tentative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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