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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Recent Examples of possessive
What readers are saying The comments largely focus on the need for the boyfriend to set boundaries with his sister, who exhibits possessive and inappropriate behavior.
—
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026
Not possessive -- possessive and addictive type personality.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
The film follows Ren, a 16-year-old Filipino-Italian teenager trapped in his mother Mia’s possessive love, who must break free during a three-day Filipino wake as Typhoon Edith approaches Manila.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for possessive
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2026
Not possessive -- possessive and addictive type personality.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
The film follows Ren, a 16-year-old Filipino-Italian teenager trapped in his mother Mia’s possessive love, who must break free during a three-day Filipino wake as Typhoon Edith approaches Manila.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for possessive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possessive
jealous
Adjective
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But a jealous Armstrong shot and killed Moriah on May 11, 2022.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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For centuries people have wistfully watched birds take wing and felt a bit jealous.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Possessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possessive. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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