possessive
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possessive
- /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/ Canada, US, UK
- /pəˈzes.ɪv/ Australia
- /pəˈzes.əv/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɛsɪv
Where it comes from
From Middle French possessif, from Latin possessivus (“of or pertaining to possession”), from possessiō (“possessing”), from possidēre (“to possess”). By surface analysis, possess + -ive.
adjective more possessive · most possessive
- Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.
- Indicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.
- Unwilling to yield possession of. He is very possessive of his car.
noun possessives
- The possessive case.
- A word used to indicate the possessive case. Take the rule about pronouns and possessives that Mr. Keegan cited in his challenge to the testing service.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: acquisitive, genitive, dominant, prenominal, greedy, our, controlling, proprietorial, proprietary, territorial, jealous, domineering, clingy, overprotective, guarding, monopolizing
Translations
Every language
adj pertaining to possession
| Español | posesivo |
|---|---|
| Français | possessif |
| Ελληνικά | κτητικός ktitikós |
| العربية | تَمَلُكِي tamaluki |
adj grammar: indicating possession
| Español | posesivo |
|---|---|
| Português | possessivo |
| Français | possessif |
| Deutsch | besitzanzeigend, possessiv |
| Ελληνικά | κτητικός ktitikós |
| Русский | притяжа́тельный pritjažátelʹnyj, поссесси́вный possessívnyj |
| العربية | صِيغَةُ اْلتَمَلُكِ ṣeyḡatu altamaluki |
adj unwilling to yield possession of
| Español | posesivo, celoso |
|---|---|
| Português | possessivo |
Talk about this word "possessive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/possessive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. possessive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/possessive "possessive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/possessive.Cite this
@misc{possessive_2026,
title = {possessive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/possessive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
