Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A disposition to protect or guard; the quality of being protective.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The quality or state of being protective.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The quality of being
protective
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the quality of providing protection
- noun a feeling of protective affection
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Yes, Bella generally doesn't stand for his overt 'protectiveness', but Eddie still comes off like a future domestic-abuser more so than the first two pictures.
Scott Mendelson: Huff Post review: Twilight Saga: Eclipse 2010
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The punditocracy's "protectiveness" toward Obama is patronizing and insulting.
Hullabaloo 2008
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With all the times this past year that I've gotten upset while speaking with Candi that she would feel that kind of protectiveness in her dream ..
dulligirl Diary Entry dulligirl 2006
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The İstanbul Bar Association is better known for its "protectiveness" toward suspected coup instigators within the armed forces.
TODAY'S ZAMAN :: News İBRAHIM ASALIOĞLU 2010
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The İstanbul Bar Association is better known for its "protectiveness" toward suspected coup instigators within the armed forces.
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"protectiveness," I felt quite a pang of jealousy against the unknown owner of the name, and wondered in what relation she stood to him and why her thought of him should bring such evident pain.
Adventures in Many Lands Various
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You know though, that protectiveness was kinda nice, even though it was paternalistic.
Trish Mitchell: Dear Me -- A Letter to My 16-Year-Old Self Trish Mitchell 2011
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His choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, of course, the apogee of his hotheaded, cold-blooded self-protectiveness.
The Real McCain, A Shape-Shifter And Self-Preservationist: Vanity Fair The Huffington Post News Team 2010
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Seeking and loving feedback from smart people (NOT defensiveness and protectiveness)
Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » The Only Way to Know If You’ll Be a Successful Writer 2010
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He has likened his sense of protectiveness towards those in his care to that of a parent for a child, which may not be an analogy that satisfies his critics.
Oliver Sacks: The visionary who can't recognise faces Andrew Anthony 2010
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