pos·ses·sive
pə-ˈze-siv 
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
1
: a possessive word or word group
2
a
: the possessive case
b
: a word in the possessive case
Synonyms
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
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
Chip's parents said Kim had become too possessive and overbearing.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2023
These tributaries can feed into problems a lot less sympathetic than timid whispers — such as becoming possessive of your son, pulling him away from his comfort zones (family and friends) and exclusively toward hers, and other controlling behaviors.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2023
Another result, though, is a user base that feels uncommonly possessive of the product.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 13 June 2023
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
See More
Adjective
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
Chip's parents said Kim had become too possessive and overbearing.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2023
These tributaries can feed into problems a lot less sympathetic than timid whispers — such as becoming possessive of your son, pulling him away from his comfort zones (family and friends) and exclusively toward hers, and other controlling behaviors.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2023
Another result, though, is a user base that feels uncommonly possessive of the product.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 13 June 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
See More
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
Phrases Containing possessive
Dictionary Entries Near possessive
Cite this Entry
“Possessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/possessive. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
possessive
1 of 2 adjective
pos·ses·sive
pə-ˈzes-iv
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 noun1
: the possessive case
2
: a noun or pronoun in the possessive case
More from Merriam-Webster on possessive
Nglish: Translation of possessive for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of possessive for Arabic Speakers
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