possessive

/pəˈzɛsɪv/

/pəˈzɛsɪv/

Other forms: possessives

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."

Definitions of possessive

1. adjective

   serving to express or indicate possession
   “possessive pronouns”

   synonyms: genitive
2. adjective

   desirous of owning
   “small children are so possessive they will not let others play with their toys”

   synonyms:

   acquisitive

   eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas
3. adjective

   having or showing a desire to control or dominate
   “a possessive parent”

   synonyms:

   dominant

   exercising influence or control
4. noun

   the case expressing ownership
   synonyms: genitive, genitive case, possessive case

   types:

   attributive genitive, attributive genitive case

   a word in the genitive case that is used as an attributive adjective

   type of:

   oblique, oblique case

   any grammatical case other than the nominative