protectiveness
3
3.9
- noun
- /prəˈtɛktɪvnəs/
:
protección
- "Let him be," warned Miranda, aware of but not understanding an odd trace of protectiveness in her tone.
- fierce protectiveness
- maternal protectiveness
- sense of protectiveness
Examples
-
But Oscar, a man without obsessions or fervor for anything, be it politics or literature, developed a stubborn protectiveness over the house.
Fiction book (1996) -
I believe it's evident there's a kind of paternal love and gentle protectiveness there too.
Blog text (10) -
Instead of making him feel guilty, her tears had brought out feelings of protectiveness.
Fiction book (1990) -
"I knew enough about maternal protectiveness to understand that there would be no arguing with my sister on this point.
Fiction book (1993) -
The only difference is that they get paid and I don't demonstrate this sense of protectiveness that the men felt toward their wives.
Academic text (2009) -
I feel a protectiveness over her, an affinity that makes me feel inexplicably knitted to her.
Blog text (12) -
Dove offers up the myth as a metaphor for the standard conflict between a mother's protectiveness and a teenaged daughter's desire for danger.
Fiction book (1996) -
Your refusal to consider that Naffe was drugged stems from your protectiveness of O'Keefe.
Blog text (18) -
Her protectiveness over her little brother was evident when she refused to let him play outside alone.
-
His strong protectiveness towards his friends made him stand up against any bullying they faced.
Antonyms
Compounds
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
protectiveness = protective (transparent) = protect + ive + ness
The noun is a regular formation from the adjective 'protective' by adding '-ness', preserving the meaning.
Etymology
Protectiveness comes from the word protect, which breaks into pro- 'before' and tect 'cover', so the idea is like putting a cover in front of someone before danger. So, protectiveness is the feeling of wanting to keep someone safe and watch over them.