Possessive Meaning
/pəˈzɛs.ɪv/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjOf or pertaining to ownership or possession.
adjIndicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.
Sentence Examples
She's jealous and possessive.
My boyfriend is possessive.
Yanni is very possessive and Skura can't stand clingy friends.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her very ____ behavior made her partner feel extremely trapped and unhappy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ pronoun 'hers' indicates that the object belongs to a female person.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French possessif, from Latin possessivus (“of or pertaining to possession”), from possessiō (“possessing”), from possidēre (“to possess”). By surface analysis, possess + -ive.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Take the rule about pronouns and possessives that Mr. Keegan cited in his challenge to the testing service."
— 2023 January 6, Geoffery Nunberg, “The Nation: Parts of Speech; The Bloody Crossroads of Grammar and Politics”, in The New York Times:
"The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal all do the opposite, opting for ’s to mark a singular possessive and a simple apostrophe for plural possessive (Harrises’ and Walzes’)."
— 2024 October 8, Remy Tumin, “Is It Harris’ or Harris’s? Add a Walz, and It’s Even Trickier.”, in The New York Times:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Her very ____ behavior made her partner feel extremely trapped and unhappy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ pronoun 'hers' indicates that the object belongs to a female person.