stepchild

noun

step·​child ˈstep-ˌchī(-ə)ld 

1

: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner

2

: one that fails to receive proper care or attention

is no longer a stepchild in the family of nations

—F. R. Smith

Examples of stepchild in a Sentence

The school has long been the forgotten stepchild of the state university system.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fine print: The study's authors collected data for women and nonbinary legislators with biological children, foster children, stepchildren and formally or informally adopted children under 18. —Axios, 30 Oct. 2024

Harris has two stepchildren with her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024

Family: Husband, John; son, Sam; and two stepchildren, Michael and Jennifer. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2024

At a press conference in early September, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said exceptions will be made for adopting children or stepchildren of blood relatives in China, up to the third degree of kinship. —Maya Cederlund, NBC News, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

stepchild

noun

step·​child ˈstep-ˌchīld 

: a child of one's wife or husband by a former partner