"tentativeness" meaning in English

See tentativeness in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: tentativenesses [plural]
Etymology: Etymology tree English tentative Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English tentativeness From tentative + -ness. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|tentative|-ness|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree English tentative Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English tentativeness [Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*-atjaną", "lang" : "gem-pro" }, { "id" : "nominative", "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "action noun", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*-tus", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*-þuz", "lang" : "gem-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "keyword" : "from" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*-assuz", "lang" : "gem-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*-inassuz", "lang" : "gem-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-West Germanic", "term" : "*-nassī", "lang" : "gmw-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Old English", "term" : "-nes", "lang" : "ang" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "-nesse", "lang" : "enm" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "-ness", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "tentativeness", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="tentativeness"> From tentative + -ness. Head templates: {{en-noun|-|+}} tentativeness (usually uncountable, plural tentativenesses)
  1. The characteristic of being tentative. Tags: uncountable, usually

Inflected forms

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  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "tentative",
        "4": "-ness",
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      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish tentative\nProto-Germanic *-inōną\nProto-Indo-European *-dyé-\nProto-Germanic *-atjaną\nProto-Indo-European *-tus\nProto-Germanic *-þuz\nProto-Germanic *-assuz\nProto-Germanic *-inassuz\nProto-West Germanic *-nassī\nOld English -nes\nMiddle English -nesse\nEnglish -ness\nEnglish tentativeness\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-atjaną\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"nominative\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"action noun\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tus\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-þuz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-assuz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-inassuz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-nassī\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-nes\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-nesse\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ness\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"tentativeness\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"tentativeness\">\nFrom tentative + -ness.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nEnglish tentative\nProto-Germanic *-inōną\nProto-Indo-European *-dyé-\nProto-Germanic *-atjaną\nProto-Indo-European *-tus\nProto-Germanic *-þuz\nProto-Germanic *-assuz\nProto-Germanic *-inassuz\nProto-West Germanic *-nassī\nOld English -nes\nMiddle English -nesse\nEnglish -ness\nEnglish tentativeness\nFrom tentative + -ness.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "tentativenesses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-",
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      "expansion": "tentativeness (usually uncountable, plural tentativenesses)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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          "parents": [],
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          "parents": [],
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          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
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        {
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      "examples": [
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              133,
              146
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1982 February 6, Judy Stern, “Striking Out”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 28, page 9:",
          "text": "There are also some delightful love scenes between Jean and Esther. Russ does an excellent job of capturing the blend of excitement, tentativeness and panic present in the culmination of something so lusted after and so feared.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The characteristic of being tentative."
      ],
      "id": "en-tentativeness-en-noun-12u2zzuJ",
      "links": [
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          "tentative",
          "tentative"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
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    }
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  "word": "tentativeness"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
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        "2": ":af",
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      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish tentative\nProto-Germanic *-inōną\nProto-Indo-European *-dyé-\nProto-Germanic *-atjaną\nProto-Indo-European *-tus\nProto-Germanic *-þuz\nProto-Germanic *-assuz\nProto-Germanic *-inassuz\nProto-West Germanic *-nassī\nOld English -nes\nMiddle English -nesse\nEnglish -ness\nEnglish tentativeness\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-atjaną\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"nominative\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"action noun\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tus\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-þuz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-assuz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-inassuz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-nassī\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-nes\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-nesse\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ness\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"tentativeness\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"tentativeness\">\nFrom tentative + -ness.",
      "name": "ety"
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  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nEnglish tentative\nProto-Germanic *-inōną\nProto-Indo-European *-dyé-\nProto-Germanic *-atjaną\nProto-Indo-European *-tus\nProto-Germanic *-þuz\nProto-Germanic *-assuz\nProto-Germanic *-inassuz\nProto-West Germanic *-nassī\nOld English -nes\nMiddle English -nesse\nEnglish -ness\nEnglish tentativeness\nFrom tentative + -ness.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tentativenesses",
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      ]
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  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
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    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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        "English entries with etymology texts",
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        "English entries with etymon",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms suffixed with -ness",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Pages using etymon with no ID",
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          "ref": "1982 February 6, Judy Stern, “Striking Out”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 28, page 9:",
          "text": "There are also some delightful love scenes between Jean and Esther. Russ does an excellent job of capturing the blend of excitement, tentativeness and panic present in the culmination of something so lusted after and so feared.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The characteristic of being tentative."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
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          "tentative"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tentativeness"
}

Download raw JSONL data for tentativeness meaning in English (4.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.