POSSESSIVENESS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

possessiveness

noun

as in materialism

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Recent Examples of possessiveness This can trigger jealousy, possessiveness, taboo-like attractions, emotional ultimatums, social power plays or money issues that reveal deeper conflicts. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026 Shot in Scope, filled with intimate closeups of the couple, the film lets the audience experience the same upsetting jolt as Gil over Jacques’ desire for control and toxic possessiveness. — Alissa Simon, Variety, 16 May 2026 Ménochet is a scary wonder as Marc, a great bear of a man who is chillingly adept at hiding his rage and possessiveness under the guise of a gentle, enlightened ascetic. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 Guilt, jealousy or over-possessiveness might take hold of you. — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026 Carmen grows tired of Don José’s possessiveness and returns to Seville alone to reunite with her lover Escamillo, the bullfighter. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026 In the film, Brack’s attraction to Hedda, investment in her material future, and his familiarity with her father are all underlined, and by the end feel like a mounting pressure of desire and possessiveness directed at her. — Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025 Wright is magnetic, walking a fine line between maternal concern and suffocating possessiveness. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 There’s a certain irony in China’s possessiveness over its Labubu IP. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for possessiveness

Noun

But Veda is no idealist out to end wars or reject her parents’ materialism.

— Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Because materialism had an irreligious connotation, Hattem says it was left out of the national conversation until the Gilded Age of the 1920s, when people start saying the quiet part out loud.

— Cari Shane, USA Today, 25 June 2026

Definition of materialism

Noun

Many critics of such wanton cosmic acquisitiveness balk at the idea of scarcely regulated private-sector lunar strip-mining.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Following too closely in its protagonist’s footsteps, The Queen of Versailles presents only two options — tough but spiritually fulfilling material deprivation or unconstrained acquisitiveness.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

Definition of acquisitiveness

Noun

What began as a bold social satire — blending visceral action with a critique of corporate greed, privatization, and the nature of identity — has resonated across generations, spawning sequels, television series, video games and comic books.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
The stupidity and greed of the status quo threatens to drive her insane.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 2026

Definition of greed

Noun

In the mid-19th century, a family of Dutch-Afrikaans homesteaders sets out to cross the inhospitable terrain of the Kalahari Desert along with their backer, a boorish Brit whose avarice and bigotry loom large over the journey.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
The theory here is that avarice and ambition can best be defeated by means of somebody else’s avarice and ambition; power’s inevitable corrupting effect is thereby mitigated or delayed.

— Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

Definition of avarice

Noun

But those same fans are habitually suspicious of commercialism, virtual guaranteeing that a Bundesliga game could never be staged outside of Germany.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 14 July 2026
While commercialism exists, the authentic human connection ignited by shared emotions, like a goal celebration, represents the Cup's most enduring and invaluable legacy, transcending mere competition.

— Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of commercialism

Noun

This variation of socialism aimed to blunt the rapacity of capitalism rather than sharpen its contradictions and hasten the coming revolution.

— Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
The French—and, later, Anglo (Wilde, Beardsley, Rossetti)—attitude, mannered and morbid, was perhaps too Old World, at odds with our cheerful, Protestant rapacity.

— Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026

Definition of rapacity

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possessiveness

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“Possessiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possessiveness. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of possessiveness

noun

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