as in composed
free from emotional or mental agitation
remarkably poised and possessed in the midst of all the turmoil
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in owned
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
she possesses a keen insight into people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 possessed
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025
Mikey’s got a possessed toilet, a rotten floor, a delivery guy with a net-30 billing schedule, and insufficient staff.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 27 June 2024
Matt Richtel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Ernst Russ, however, denied these allegations, claiming that the ship only possessed four empty containers that had once housed the chemical.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for possessed
Adjective
In a possessed rush, Tyler storms up the stairwell, down the corridor and enters the bedroom to tackle Ryan, who has already killed one of Chloe’s friends and staged it as an overdose.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025
Mikey’s got a possessed toilet, a rotten floor, a delivery guy with a net-30 billing schedule, and insufficient staff.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 27 June 2024
Verb
Liberal children tended to recall more accurately the ratio of desirable and undesirable traits in the characters of the story; their memories possessed greater fidelity to the story as it was originally told.
—Matt Richtel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Ernst Russ, however, denied these allegations, claiming that the ship only possessed four empty containers that had once housed the chemical.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for possessed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possessed
Adjective
-
Then take the time to analyze the situation before delivering a thoughtful and composed response.—
Christopher Fairbank,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
McIlroy looked composed and steady at 2-under through nine.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Should development go according to plan, the liquor store, owned by BTX Bottle Shoppe, LLC, will occupy the former Tuesday Morning retail site in the shopping center at 654 SW Wilshire Blvd.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2025
-
In many ways, the Twins’ sale mirrors that of the Nationals, who are owned by the Lerner family and have members of the family who were adamantly against the team changing hands.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers used the collected ear wax data to train an artificial intelligence olfactory (AIO) system, technology that uses sensors to simulate the human sense of smell to detect and analyze VOCs.—
Amy McGorry,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2025
-
The wording of the notice suggests the collected data can be used much more broadly than past department data sets.—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
But yes, that was cold-blooded to Dickson, who clearly had a crush on her.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Police had Bumgardner take a breathalyzer test twice, several minutes apart.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s something wonderfully timeless about pushing off from shore in a canoe as the paddles dip quietly through calm water as dragonflies skim by.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
29 June 2025
-
In recent weeks, investor worries have eased in response to calmer rhetoric on tariffs from the White House and forecasts that the Federal Reserve rate will lower interest rates, analysts told CBS MoneyWatch.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Producers hold onto their rights and their IP and the value from our spend is retained in the UK, not across the Atlantic.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Leicester have retained their former men’s training ground, Belvoir Drive, just outside the city centre, which is situated in a housing estate, and there is so far no information on the Land Registry of a sale.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Big Momma the alligator is one of his muses, as are curious bobcats and the serene landscape.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
28 June 2025
-
The entire island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a kaleidoscope of lush valleys, dramatic waterfalls and serene lagoons.—
Ann Abel,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
But that was not the case at Leicester last season, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall enjoyed a career-best campaign while wingers Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi registered 19 and 18 goal involvements respectively in the Championship.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Once opened, coffee loses flavor after two weeks and is best enjoyed within six months.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Possessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possessed. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share