the possessive

noun

grammar

: the form of a word that shows possession or belonging

The possessive of "it" is "its."

Examples of the possessive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So, the possessive title of Tina Gharavi’s film, Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day, might well have been a marketing requirement, there to remind us of the story’s provenance. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

The plaque on the bridge uses the possessive form, but all official digital records omit it. — Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 29 June 2026

As a result, Navid must redefine his identity beyond being his identical twin brother’s mirror image, while navigating the possessive desires of his clients, his brother, and his new lover. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025

Specifically, the divisions are about how to use apostrophes when writing about the candidates in the possessive. — Mike Allen, Axios, 14 Aug. 2024

Like Kincaid and Dungy, Rush exposes the possessive and often violent traditions of naming the natural world. — Emily Raboteau, The New York Review of Books, 1 Nov. 2020

Rhymes for the possessive

• retrogressive
• unimpressive
• unprogressive
• aggressive
• compressive
• concessive
• depressive
• excessive
• expressive
• impressive
• obsessive
• oppressive