Tentativi

Tentativi is the plural of tentativo, a masculine Italian noun meaning an attempt or an effort. It refers to acts of trying to achieve a goal, or to a number of trials or experiments carried out in order to obtain a result. The term is commonly used in both everyday language and formal contexts, including science, business, and law. In legal and criminological language, tentativi denotes attempted offenses, as in tentativi di omicidio (attempted murder) or tentativi di rapina (attempted robbery).

Etymology and form

Tentativo comes from Latin tentativus, derived from tentare, meaning “to try.” The noun is masculine: il tentativo; plural i tentativi. The related adjective tentativo can describe something provisional, exploratory, or experimental, as in un approccio tentativo or una soluzione tentativa, meaning a tentative or experimental approach/solution.

Usage notes

In everyday speech, tentativi often appears with nouns such as “di convincere,” “di raggiungere," or “di risolvere” to describe ongoing or repeated efforts. In scientific or methodological contexts, it can indicate the number of trials conducted, e.g., “i tentativi sperimentali.” As an adjective, tentativo conveys a sense of provisionality or experimentation, distinct from definitive or settled conclusions.

See also

Tentare, tentativo (adjective), tentativi di reato, tentativi scientifici.