What does possessive mean?

Definitions for possessive
pəˈzɛs ɪvpos·ses·sive

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word possessive.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. genitive, genitive case, possessive, possessive caseadjective

    the case expressing ownership

  2. possessive, genitiveadjective

    serving to express or indicate possession

    "possessive pronouns"; "the genitive endings"

  3. possessiveadjective

    desirous of owning

    "small children are so possessive they will not let others play with their toys"

  4. possessiveadjective

    having or showing a desire to control or dominate

    "a possessive parent"

Wiktionary

  1. possessivenoun

    The possessive case.

  2. possessivenoun

    A word used to indicate the possessive case.

  3. possessiveadjective

    Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.

  4. possessiveadjective

    Indicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.

  5. possessiveadjective

    Unwilling to yield possession of.

    He is very possessive of his car.

  6. Etymology: possessivus, of or pertaining to possession, from possessio, possessing, possidere, to possess.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Possessiveadjective

    Having possession:

    Etymology: possessivus, Lat.

ChatGPT

  1. possessive

    Possessive refers to a grammatical term denoting a relation of ownership or belonging between one thing or person and another. It is typically marked by the use of specific forms of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives, such as "my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their," or "-'s" at the end of a noun (as in "John's book"). In a broader sense, possessive can also describe a person who shows excessive desire to own, control, or dominate.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Possessiveadjective

    of or pertaining to possession; having or indicating possession

  2. Possessivenoun

    the possessive case

  3. Possessivenoun

    a possessive pronoun, or a word in the possessive case

  4. Etymology: [L. possessivus: cf. F. possessif.]

Wikidata

  1. Possessive

    A possessive form is a word or grammatical construction used to indicate a relationship of possession in a broad sense. Possessive forms that occur with a noun and indicate the possessor of the referent of that noun, thus serving as determiners or adjectives, are called possessive determiners or possessive adjectives. Examples include the English words my and Jane's as used in the phrases my friends and Jane's work. Possessive forms that indicate the possessor of something but occur independently, without qualifying a noun, are called possessive pronouns. Examples in English include the words mine and yours as in mine is red and I prefer yours. Forms such as Jane's in I prefer Jane's perform the same function, though they are more rarely described as possessive pronouns, being derived from nouns. Nouns or pronouns taking the form of a possessive are sometimes described as being in the possessive case, although the description of possessives as constituting a grammatical case in languages like English is often disputed. A more commonly used term in describing the grammar of various languages is genitive case, though this usually denotes a case with a broader range of functions than just producing possessive forms. Some languages occasionally use the dative case to denote the possessor, as in the Serbo-Croatian kosa mu je gusta "his hair is thick".

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of possessive in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of possessive in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of possessive in a Sentence

  1. Van Wyck Brooks:

    The creative impulses of man are always at war with the possessive impulses.

  2. Kate Upton:

    The next day, I learned that I had been fired from the shoot. Someone had called my agency to say I had gotten fat. paul’s texting increased, telling me how excited Paul Marciano was to see me, that Paul Marciano wanted me to change in front of Paul Marciano so Paul Marciano could see my naked body getting into Paul Marciano clothes. Paul Marciano asked if I thought of Paul Marciano when I was posing sexy on set. All the language Paul Marciano used was extremely dominant and possessive. At one point, to avoid Paul coming to set, I told him my boyfriend was going to be there. He was absolutely furious at that. It was an emotional and non-stop battle of games, power struggles and creative avoidance tactics.

  3. Kate Upton:

    Paul’s texting increased, telling me how excited Paul Marciano was to see me, that Paul Marciano wanted me to change in front of Paul Marciano so Paul Marciano could see my naked body getting into Paul Marciano clothes. Paul Marciano asked if I thought of Paul Marciano when I was posing sexy on set. All the language Paul Marciano used was extremely dominant and possessive. At one point, to avoid Paul coming to set, I told him my boyfriend was going to be there. He was absolutely furious at that. It was an emotional and non-stop battle of games, power struggles and creative avoidance tactics.

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Translations for possessive

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"possessive." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/possessive>.

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