🇬🇧 Possessive meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

If a person is possessive, they act like their things, pets, or even friends belong only to them and they don’t want to share. A possessive person might grab their toy back, hug it tightly, and say, “Mine!” even when someone just wants a quick turn. Being possessive means you feel very protective and clingy about what you own, sometimes so much that it isn’t fair to others.

Our robot vacuum seems possessive of every crumb and gets jealous when we try to sweep one up ourselves.

My cousin is possessive about the front seat in the car and acts like she pays rent to sit there.

Our class gold medal made everyone possessive, so the teacher gave it to the skeleton model because it doesn’t have feelings.

The toddler was so possessive of his blanket that even the washing machine wasn’t allowed to touch it without a tantrum.

My little brother is so possessive of the TV remote that he sleeps with it under his pillow like a tiny plastic teddy bear.

Tom, a possessive boy, clutched a small bear, possessive and pale, when Anna reached. His possessive grip tightened; he hissed and stepped back. Anna looked hurt, then tapped the bear gently. The possessive hold loosened as Tom watched her care. He handed her the bear, still possessive, but calmer, and they both breathed, smiling.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

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