possessive

[ puh-zes-iv ]

adjective

1. jealously opposed to the personal independence of, or to any influence other than one's own upon, a child, spouse, etc.
2. desirous of possessing, especially excessively so:

   Young children are so possessive they will not allow others to play with their toys; a possessive lover.

3. of or relating to possession or ownership.
4. Grammar.
   1. indicating possession, ownership, origin, etc. His in his book is a possessive adjective. His in The book is his is a possessive pronoun.
   2. noting or pertaining to a case that indicates possession, ownership, origin, etc., as, in English, John's in John's hat.

noun

, Grammar.

1. the possessive case.
2. a form in the possessive.

possessive

/ pəˈzɛsɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to possession or ownership
2. having or showing an excessive desire to possess, control, or dominate

   a possessive mother

3. grammar
   1. another word for genitive
   2. denoting an inflected form of a noun or pronoun used to convey the idea of possession, association, etc, as my or Harry's

noun

1. grammar
   1. the possessive case
   2. a word or speech element in the possessive case

possessive

1. The case of a noun or pronoun that shows possession. Nouns are usually made possessive by adding an apostrophe and s : “The bicycle is Sue's , not Mark's .” Possessive pronouns can take the place of possessive nouns: “The bicycle is hers , not his .” ( See nominative case and objective case .)

Derived Forms

• posˈsessively, adverb
• posˈsessiveness, noun

Other Words From

• pos·sessive·ly adverb
• pos·sessive·ness noun
• nonpos·sessive adjective
• nonpos·sessive·ly adverb
• nonpos·sessive·ness noun
• unpos·sessive adjective
• unpos·sessive·ly adverb
• unpos·sessive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of possessive¹

From the Latin word possessīvus, dating back to 1520–30. See possess, -ive

Example Sentences

They include angry outbursts and possessive or controlling behavior.

From Science News For Students

She’s rewarded with a boyfriend who yells at her for prioritizing her career, becomes possessive when he learns of Rachel’s friendship with a male coworker, and then cheats on her.

From Time

That possessive dude who kept whispering things in Nakia’s ear in the first episode was also a self-proclaimed nice guy, and he had very creepy vibes.

From Time

For a long time, the league expended too much energy on fitting in, hoping to make an appeal to some staunch and possessive male gatekeepers, thinking they were the tastemakers.

From Washington Post

Building on other research projects suggesting, for example, that people at high risk of psychosis tend use fewer possessive pronouns like “my,” “his,” or “ours,” Rezaii and her colleagues wanted to see if a computer could spot low semantic density.

From MIT Technology Review

Many people do not realize how intensely possessive and demanding a married cheater can be.

From The Daily Beast

A jilted and possessive ex-lover who was jealous because Le was about to be married to another man?

From The Daily Beast

But when we moved in together, he became less sympathetic, more openly possessive, and I grew nervous.

From The Daily Beast

In earnest appeals we find the nmen also used, with sometimes the praenmen or the possessive m prefixed.

From Project Gutenberg

The use of the plural possessive thrilled the heart of the workers; the club was a family possession.

From Project Gutenberg

His eyes were an index of the man, bold and possessive and unwavering.

From Project Gutenberg

The possessive pronoun is used by French soldiers in addressing superior officers.

From Project Gutenberg

But the possessive pronoun rose readily to his lips when talk turned upon the land.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• selfish