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
Your partnerships tend to be all-or-nothing — or rather, become possessive instead. Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024 Just as observation and a dose of evolutionary logic revealed male burying beetles not as attentive fathers but as possessive mate guarders, the natural and behavioral sciences deflated my dreamy credo, exposing my lofty aspirations as performance and self-deception. Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Noun
What’s the rule on forming a singular possessive of a name ending with a sibilant? Daniel Foster, National Review, 19 Sep. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for possessive 

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 10 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!