possessive

adjective
UK: /pəˈzesɪv/
US: /pəˈzesɪv/

  1. Wanting to own or control another person.

    1. He gets possessive when other men talk to his girlfriend.
    2. A possessive boss is hard to work with because they control everything.

Synonyms

jealous controlling proprietary
possessive adjective

  1. Showing that someone or something belongs to someone.

    1. A possessive pronoun shows who owns something.
    2. The possessive case indicates ownership, like in 'John's car'.
possessive noun

  1. A word that shows ownership.

    1. The possessive 's shows who owns the book.
    2. 'Mine' is a possessive pronoun indicating ownership.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "possessive" is /pəˈzesɪv/ in British English and /pəˈzesɪv/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "possessive": jealous, controlling, proprietary.

Example usage of "possessive": "He gets possessive when other men talk to his girlfriend.". More examples on the page.