Tentative means uncertain or not yet final. When you make tentative plans to meet a friend on Saturday, you're saying “maybe” rather than “definitely.” The plans might change depending on what else happens.

A tentative answer is one you're not completely sure about. If a teacher asks a difficult question and you raise your hand with a tentative response, you're offering your best guess but acknowledging you might be wrong. Your voice might even sound hesitant as you speak.

Scientists often draw tentative conclusions from their experiments, meaning they think they've found something important but need more evidence before they're certain. A tentative hypothesis is like a carefully worded guess that researchers are still testing.

The word suggests caution and carefulness. Making a tentative decision means you're being thoughtful about keeping your options open. When you take tentative steps onto solid ground, you're testing it before committing fully.