a tentative hypothesis

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a tentative hypothesis" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a preliminary or uncertain explanation that is subject to further testing or investigation. Example: "In our research, we propose a tentative hypothesis that suggests a correlation between sleep patterns and cognitive performance."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

15 human-written examples

What begins as a tentative hypothesis gradually becomes a more coherent body of ideas.

The New York Times

The aim of this paper is to formulate a tentative hypothesis designed to unify the clinical, anatomo-physiological, and genetic aspects underlying this condition.

Sleep Medicine

One paragraph, for instance, calls out "jarring" inaccuracies, then cites, by way of example, a tentative hypothesis that Grigoriadis submits concerning gender dynamics and a couple of anecdotal sentences about when people do and do not use the word "bitch".

The New Yorker

Scientists, it seemed clear, began with careful observations, cautiously proceeded to a tentative hypothesis, progressed to more secure but still provisional theories, and only in the end achieved, after a long process of verification, the security of permanent laws.

The New Yorker

In this deductive procedure conclusions are inferred from a tentative hypothesis.

SEP

From the information we collected, only a tentative hypothesis can be put forward, and in order to have a deeper understanding of piebald camels' genetics, a 'herd analysis exercise' (Krätli 2008) among herds including piebald camels would be helpful.

Pastoralism

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

By Hendrik Hertzberg March 11, 2009 The Presidential: * Obama/Biden: 69,456,898 (52.87%) * McCain/Palin: 59,934,814 (45.62%) * Others: About 2 millionThe Congressional: * Democratic: 65,203,062 (54.0%) * Republican : 52,290,917 (43.3%) * Others: About 3 millionThese figures don't yield a whole lot of fine-grained conclusions, but they do suggest a few tentative hypotheses: 1.

The New Yorker

The Presidential: * Obama/Biden: 69,456,898 (52.87%) * McCain/Palin: 59,934,814 (45.62%) * Others: About 2 millionThe Congressional: * Democratic: 65,203,062 (54.0%) * Republican : 52,290,917 (43.3%) * Others: About 3 millionThese figures don't yield a whole lot of fine-grained conclusions, but they do suggest a few tentative hypotheses: 1.

The New Yorker

In Eq. (2), the weight adjustment is made with the exponential function where the weighted misclassification rate α t is used as an exponent and the tentative hypothesis h t (I j ) determines the sign of the exponent.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

But Gold proposed replacing the question with a very different one: Which tentative hypothesis is the one to pick, given the data provided so far, assuming a finite number of wrong guesses can be forgiven?

SEP

In order to distinguish such an explanation from the more tentative hypothesis that the observed changes in duration discrimination performance were due to subconscious crossmodal grouping and its consequential influences on the brain's time perception system, we performed a fifth experiment.

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When presenting "a tentative hypothesis", clearly state the evidence supporting it and acknowledge its limitations. This transparency builds credibility.

Common error

Avoid presenting "a tentative hypothesis" as a confirmed fact. Use language that reflects its uncertain nature, such as 'suggests', 'indicates', or 'implies'.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a tentative hypothesis" functions as a noun phrase that introduces a preliminary or provisional explanation for a phenomenon. It sets the stage for further investigation and testing, as demonstrated by the Ludwig AI examples that suggest the need for more research to validate the hypothesis.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

70%

News & Media

20%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a tentative hypothesis" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase that indicates a preliminary explanation requiring further investigation. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it's most commonly used in scientific and academic contexts to propose an initial idea. While not extremely frequent, its clear and precise meaning makes it valuable in formal writing. When using this phrase, be sure to acknowledge its limitations and present it as a starting point for further research. Consider alternatives like "a preliminary theory" or "a working assumption" depending on the specific context. Remember to avoid overstating the certainty of the hypothesis, and use language that reflects its uncertain nature.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a preliminary theory

Replaces 'hypothesis' with 'theory', suggesting a slightly more developed but still unproven explanation.

a working assumption

Focuses on the practical aspect of using the hypothesis as a base for further work.

a speculative proposal

Emphasizes the exploratory nature of the hypothesis.

a provisional explanation

Highlights the temporary and conditional nature of the explanation.

an initial conjecture

Stresses the early stage and the element of guesswork involved.

a suggested mechanism

More specific, referring to a proposed process or system.

a possible interpretation

Shifts focus to understanding existing data rather than predicting new outcomes.

a potential explanation

Uses 'potential' to underscore that the explanation is not yet validated.

a proposed model

Similar to 'suggested mechanism' but emphasizes the structured aspect of the explanation.

a rough estimation

Reduces the scope to a quantitative guess, rather than a broader explanation.

FAQs

How can I use "a tentative hypothesis" in a research paper?

In a research paper, "a tentative hypothesis" is typically presented in the introduction or discussion section. It should be supported by preliminary data and framed as a starting point for further investigation. For instance, you could say, "Based on these initial findings, we propose "a tentative hypothesis" that...".

What's the difference between "a tentative hypothesis" and a theory?

"A tentative hypothesis" is an initial explanation that hasn't been extensively tested. A theory, on the other hand, is a well-substantiated explanation acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.

What are some alternatives to using the phrase "a tentative hypothesis"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "a preliminary theory", "a working assumption", or "a speculative proposal".

When is it appropriate to present "a tentative hypothesis"?

It's appropriate to present "a tentative hypothesis" when you have some initial evidence or observations that suggest a possible explanation, but you haven't yet conducted enough research to draw firm conclusions. It's often used to guide further investigation.