possessive

CEFRB2

/pəˈzɛs.ɪv/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Wanting to own or control someone or something completely.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Showing that something belongs to a person.

Examples

  • Yanni is very possessive and Skura can't stand clingy friends.

  • He is very possessive of his car.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2

Also pronounced

  • /pəˈzes.ɪv/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Indicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.

  2. Unwilling to yield possession of.

  3. Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.

More examples

In context

  • My boyfriend is possessive.

  • She's jealous and possessive.

  • Take the rule about pronouns and possessives that Mr. Keegan cited in his challenge to the testing service.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Her very blank behavior made her partner feel extremely trapped and unhappy.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle French possessif, from Latin possessivus (“of or pertaining to possession”), from possessiō (“possessing”), from possidēre (“to possess”). By surface analysis, possess + -ive.