🇬🇧🇪🇸 possessive - posesivo : English Lesson

Meaning of "possessive" ("posesivo"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

If a person is possessive, they act like they ‘own’ someone’s love and attention and don’t want to share that person with anyone else. A possessive person might get upset or jealous if their friend talks to other people, or if someone they care about spends time with others. Being possessive means you want someone all to yourself, like a kid who won’t let anyone else play with their favorite friend, even though people are not toys and should be free to choose their friends.

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

My cat is so possessive that she hissed at the goldfish for ‘stealing’ my attention.

Tom’s possessive friend announced, “Your other friends are on a waiting list.”

My little brother is possessive and yells, “That’s MY mom!” every time I try to hug her.

The king’s possessive jester didn’t want the king to laugh at anybody else’s jokes.

In language, we also use the word ‘possessive’ for words that show ownership, like “my,” “your,” and “Sarah’s,” but in people, being too possessive usually just makes everyone want extra personal space.

On the bus, he felt her possessive grip on his sleeve, a possessive look at the woman who laughed across the aisle, a possessive whisper, a possessive tug when the woman moved closer, a possessive smile when he turned to her. He squeezed back, warm and calm, and the bus filled with quiet relief.

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.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.