as in jealous
intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness he was very possessive of his girlfriend's attention, and it was really starting to annoy her

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of possessive And Doyle showed even more possessive behavior that C.C. found troubling. Chris Young Ritzen, CBS News, 10 May 2025 The moon’s clash with Mars amplifies passions and possessive thoughts! Usa Today, USA Today, 11 May 2025 These include possessive apostrophes in clubs that are named after people or institutions — Newell’s Old Boys, for example, who got their name from Isaac Newell, an Englishman who was a pioneer of football in Argentina. Nick Miller, New York Times, 1 May 2025 There was a woman next to me who was really possessive of the armrest. Matt Villano, AFAR Media, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for possessive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possessive
jealous
Adjective
  • Putnam was jealous of his wife’s flirtations, and tinkered with her schedule accordingly.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
  • When Lizzy finally runs off behind the garden hedges after getting into it with Hector for clearly being jealous of the attention Theo’s getting, Theo follows her.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Possessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possessive. Accessed 17 Jul. 2025.

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