genitive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The species name populi is a Latin singular noun in the genitive case meaning "of the people."

From Science Daily • Feb. 7, 2026

During the Force Majeure show, Izzard gets to grips with German sentence structure and declensions, earning knowing applause from the Berlin crowd for his perfect use of the fiendishly tricky genitive case at one stage.

From Reuters • Jan. 29, 2014

The genitive you are mine / is a phrase I cherished only when I'd moved on / and couldn't use it.

From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2013

But add either an article, as in A daughter cooked dinner, or a genitive, as in Jenny’s daughter cooked dinner, and the sentence is complete.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

The clumsy examples above show that long and complicated subjects are best left unmarked, whereas simpler ones like pronouns work well in the genitive, as in I appreciate your coming over to help.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker