Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

possessive

/pəˈzɛs.ɪv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.17 in modern English

Syllables: pos-ses-sive
IPA: /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.

adj

Indicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.

adj

Unwilling to yield possession of.

noun

The possessive case.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A word used to indicate the possessive case.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"He is very possessive of his car."
"Take the rule about pronouns and possessives that Mr. Keegan cited in his challenge to the testing service."
"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’)."

Etymology

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

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/
British English: /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more possessive (comparative) most possessive (superlative) possessives (plural)

Derived Forms

nonpossessive overpossessive possessival possessivity unpossessive possessively possessiveness

Phrases

double possessive independent possessive possessive pronoun possessive adjective possessive determiner possessive suffix

Frequently Paired Words

possessive pronoun possessive adjective possessive determiner possessive suffix comitative genitive ktetic proprietive

Synonyms

genitive genitive case possessive case

Rhymes With

impressive progressive aggressive excessive successive oppressive obsessive expressive depressive repressive regressive recessive

Questions

How do you pronounce possessive?: The recorded pronunciation is /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/.
What does possessive mean?: Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.
Where does possessive come 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.

How to pronounce possessive

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “possessive”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pəˈzɛs.ɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “possessive”.
Repeat and practice — Say “possessive” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.