possessed

[puh-zest]

adjective

1. spurred or moved by a strong feeling, madness, or a supernatural power (often followed by by, of, orwith ).

   The army fought as if possessed. The village believed her to be possessed of the devil.

2. self-possessed; poised.

possessed

/ pəˈzɛst /

adjective

1. (foll by of) owning or having

2. (usually postpositive) under the influence of a powerful force, such as a spirit or strong emotion

3. a less common word for self-possessed

Other Word Forms

• possessedly adverb
• possessedness noun
• nonpossessed adjective
• unpossessed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of possessed¹

First recorded in 1525–35; possess + -ed ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. possessed of, having; possessing.

   He is possessed of intelligence and ambition.

Example Sentences

But the Roman emperor was the first to break with tradition and distribute them to ensure his subjects understood that he possessed absolute power and, not incidentally, controlled the empire’s money supply.

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“Fights, Camera, Action” features an excerpt of a 1988 interview with the woman whose toaster is allegedly possessed by Satan, featured on the “Today” show.

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A diplomat by nature and possessed of old-fashioned manners, he struggled as a party leader and his performances in the bear pit of Prime Minister's Questions were seen by many as ineffectual.

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And while I’m not going to say they’re the same movie — the Crawleys are never literally attacked by a possessed mirror, for example — the similarities are surprisingly striking.

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"He looked possessed. He didn't look human. I saw him stab someone in front of me and realised that he was going to hurt us all."

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Related Words

• consumed www.thesaurus.com
• enchanted 
• haunted