possessive

1 of 2

adjective

pos·​ses·​sive pə-ˈze-siv 

 also  -ˈse-

1

: of, relating to, or constituting a word, a word group, or a grammatical case that denotes ownership or a relation analogous to ownership

2

: manifesting possession or the desire to own or dominate

possessively adverb

possessiveness noun

possessive

2 of 2

noun

1

: a possessive word or word group

2

a

: the possessive case

b

: a word in the possessive case

Synonyms

Adjective

• jealous

Examples of possessive in a Sentence

Adjective

If you marry him, he is only going to become even more jealous and possessive than he is now.

The possessive form of “dog” is “dog's.”

“His” and “her” are possessive pronouns.

Noun

“Your” and “yours” are possessives.

The possessive of “it” is “its.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Your partnerships tend to be all-or-nothing — or rather, become possessive instead. —Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024

Just as observation and a dose of evolutionary logic revealed male burying beetles not as attentive fathers but as possessive mate guarders, the natural and behavioral sciences deflated my dreamy credo, exposing my lofty aspirations as performance and self-deception. —Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024

Noun

What’s the rule on forming a singular possessive of a name ending with a sibilant? —Daniel Foster, National Review, 19 Sep. 2024

But focus instead on that apostrophe in the title: This is Hopper’s New York, emphasis on the possessive, and for all its crowd-pleasing fare this is a more challenging show about his dominion over the city. —Karen Rosenberg, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing possessive

• possessive adjective
• possessive pronoun
• the possessive

Kids Definition

possessive

1 of 2 adjective

pos·​ses·​sive pə-ˈzes-iv 

1

: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case that shows ownership or a similar relation

2

: showing the desire to possess or control

a possessive attitude

possessively adverb

possessiveness noun

possessive

2 of 2 noun

1

: the possessive case

2

: a noun or pronoun in the possessive case