possessed

American  

[puh-zest] / pəˈzɛst /

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.

---

idioms

1. possessed of, having; possessing.

   He is possessed of intelligence and ambition.

possessed British  

/ 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

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

Etymology

Origin of possessed

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

Example Sentences

Still, even if Ms. Spanberger possessed the rhetorical skills of FDR or Reagan, she would look small.

From The Wall Street Journal

Clara Davis, an influential pediatrician, taught that children possessed innate wisdom, and thus their preferences and cravings were a better guide to what they should eat than the dreary and tyrannical “dosage method.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The following month, Titone, Brunel’s lawyer, called Edwards, the victims’ attorney, saying he was having trouble serving Epstein with the lawsuit, and raised the possibility that Brunel possessed photographic evidence against Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal

Byrne, possessed of the saddest, most compelling resting face since Garbo’s, broke through in the U.S. with “The Dead Girl,” “28 Weeks Later” and the FX series “Damages.”

From Los Angeles Times

Until this fossil came to light, there was no evidence that dinosaurs possessed hollow skin based spines of this kind.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• consumed
• enchanted
• haunted