possessive

1 of 2

adjective

pos·​ses·​sive pə-ˈze-siv How to pronounce possessive (audio)
 also  -ˈse-
1
: of, relating to, or constituting a word, a word group, or a grammatical case that denotes ownership or a relation analogous to ownership
2
: manifesting possession or the desire to own or dominate
possessively adverb
possessiveness noun

possessive

2 of 2

noun

1
: a possessive word or word group
2
a
: the possessive case
b
: a word in the possessive case

Examples of possessive in a Sentence

Adjective If you marry him, he is only going to become even more jealous and possessive than he is now. The possessive form of “dog” is “dog's.” “His” and “her” are possessive pronouns. Noun “Your” and “yours” are possessives. The possessive of “it” is “its.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Ted grows possessive with Marvin, not appreciating that his newfound friend’s childlike wonder is being diverted from his canvases to Susan. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024 Don José is a passive but possessive male who can only assert himself through violence. Vulture, 4 Jan. 2024 Jessica doesn’t like Caroline’s (unseen) boyfriend, who’s too possessive. Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2023 Winona is lonely, paranoid, possessive, and full of clawing need. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2023 Four years after vanquishing the Demon Nun and the evil, possessive entity Valak, things get hellishly twisted once again, this time at a boarding school in France. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 20 Oct. 2023 Of the clientele, Teeth (James Frecheville) is polite but possessive. Amy Nicholson, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023 That adds yet another personal, possessive dimension to the movie’s title. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023 That gerund possessive calls for the apostrophe: Beijing’s further expanding…. WSJ, 10 Mar. 2023
Noun
That’s not to say that SZA is not possessed by — and possessive of — pure romance. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 9 Dec. 2022 But focus instead on that apostrophe in the title: This is Hopper’s New York, emphasis on the possessive, and for all its crowd-pleasing fare this is a more challenging show about his dominion over the city. Karen Rosenberg, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022 Tyler Perry is the type of filmmaker whose name can appear as a possessive in front of a movie’s title. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 The possessive in the title of Zack Snyder’s Justice League says it all. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2021 That titular possessive really is doing a lot of work. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2021 Devon and Birmingham unilaterally disposed of the possessive in in all street and road signs in 2009, though the Devon council backtracked shortly after. Roslyn Petelin, Quartz, 10 Dec. 2019 Wisconsin linebacker Chris Orr stood on the field at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday — the spot where Minnesota beat the Badgers 37-15 last November — and attached a possessive to a coveted item. Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2019 But with great power comes great responsibility: 8 breeds workaholics, and on a bad day, can become excessively controlling and possessive. Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, 16 July 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'possessive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of possessive was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near possessive

Cite this Entry

“Possessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/possessive. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

possessive

1 of 2 adjective
pos·​ses·​sive pə-ˈzes-iv How to pronounce possessive (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case that shows ownership or a similar relation
2
: showing the desire to possess or control
a possessive attitude
possessively adverb
possessiveness noun

possessive

2 of 2 noun
1
: the possessive case
2
: a noun or pronoun in the possessive case

More from Merriam-Webster on possessive

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