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
1
: a possessive word or word group
2
a
: the possessive case
b
: a word in the possessive case
Synonyms
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
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2024
And its name is not possessive, because it’s meant to refer to its namesake of pretty flowers.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 28 May 2024
A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 9 Dec. 2022
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
See all Example Sentences for possessive 
Adjective
During her bail hearing on Thursday, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Tyler McCoy said Maye had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and had had shown possessive and controlling behavior in the past.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2024
And its name is not possessive, because it’s meant to refer to its namesake of pretty flowers.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 28 May 2024
Noun
That’s not to say that SZA is not possessed by — and possessive of — pure romance.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 9 Dec. 2022
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
See all Example Sentences for possessive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'possessive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near possessive
Cite this Entry
“Possessive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/possessive. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: the possessive case
2
: a noun or pronoun in the possessive case
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