possessive

American  

[puh-zes-iv] / pəˈzɛs ɪv /

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.

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noun

Grammar.

1. the possessive case.

2. a form in the possessive.

possessive British  

/ 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

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the possessive case

   2. a word or speech element in the possessive case

possessive Cultural  

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.)

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Other Word Forms

• nonpossessive adjective
• nonpossessively adverb
• nonpossessiveness noun
• possessively adverb
• possessiveness noun
• unpossessive adjective
• unpossessively adverb
• unpossessiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of possessive

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

Example Sentences

"You can have them both, I am not possessive. And their sisters."

From BBC

With her husband so frequently absent, child-rearing fell almost entirely to Frances, who proved a loving but possessive mother.

From The Wall Street Journal

Most notably, there’s an attempt to mirror Latin grammar by omitting articles and possessive pronouns: “We stray from point.”

From Los Angeles Times

She claims she tried to end the relationship after a few months when Alvarado turned overbearing and possessive.

From Los Angeles Times

Atencio’s fiendish feline would have followed guests throughout the ride, a creature said to despise living humans and with predatory, possessive instincts.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• selfish