possessive

American  

[puh-zes-iv] / pəˈzɛs ɪv /

adjective

1. jealously opposed to the personal independence of, or to any influence other than one's own upon, a child, spouse, etc.

2. desirous of possessing, especially excessively so.

   Young children are so possessive they will not allow others to play with their toys; a possessive lover.

3. of or relating to possession or ownership.

4. Grammar.

   1. indicating possession, ownership, origin, etc. His in his book is a possessive adjective. His in The book is his is a possessive pronoun.

   2. noting or pertaining to a case that indicates possession, ownership, origin, etc., as, in English, John's in John's hat.

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noun

Grammar.

1. the possessive case.

2. a form in the possessive.

possessive British  

/ pəˈzɛsɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to possession or ownership

2. having or showing an excessive desire to possess, control, or dominate

   a possessive mother

3. grammar

   1. another word for genitive

   2. denoting an inflected form of a noun or pronoun used to convey the idea of possession, association, etc, as my or Harry's

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the possessive case

   2. a word or speech element in the possessive case

possessive Cultural  

1. The case of a noun or pronoun that shows possession. Nouns are usually made possessive by adding an apostrophe and s: “The bicycle is Sue's, not Mark's.” Possessive pronouns can take the place of possessive nouns: “The bicycle is hers, not his.” (See nominative case and objective case.)

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Other Word Forms

• nonpossessive adjective
• nonpossessively adverb
• nonpossessiveness noun
• possessively adverb
• possessiveness noun
• unpossessive adjective
• unpossessively adverb
• unpossessiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of possessive

From the Latin word possessīvus, dating back to 1520–30. See possess, -ive

Explanation

Being possessive means you're being a little selfish about people or things in your life: you're clinging to them tightly and saying "Mine!" Being possessive isn’t a good thing — possessive people are usually insecure and controlling. For example, you're being possessive of your pooch if you won't let anyone else play with it. A friend might be possessive of you if they get jealous when you hang out with other people. But in grammar, possessive is less creepy: a possessive word indicates ownership, like the word “dog's” in the sentence "Your dog's bowl just spilled on the carpet."

Example Sentences

With her husband so frequently absent, child-rearing fell almost entirely to Frances, who proved a loving but possessive mother.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

The inquest has also heard that Gunner Beck received thousands of messages from another senior colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason, whom she described as being "psychotic and possessive".

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2025

As it moved through TikTok and Instagram, the term focused solely on the plural possessive, as people jokingly addressed their intangible audiences.

From Slate • Nov. 3, 2024

And I know you’ve talked about it and you’ve shared that you understand as a writer being possessive of your work.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2024

It was more as if she had brought them up— perhaps through indifference or through laziness or even through some kind of possessive cruelty—with an imperfect sense of right and wrong.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• selfish