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 victim, who had a baby girl and three stepchildren, was the type of person who would help anyone, his sister-in-law told CNN. —Holly Yan, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026

YouTube, or anyone else — to boost buzz, attendance and viewers to the former stepchild weekend, although that’s definitely the end result. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 Apr. 2026

My grandmother always said that Staten Island was treated as a stepchild! —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026

At the time of his work on the Empire State, Bigelow was 28 and lived in Union City, New Jersey, with his wife and two stepchildren. —Glenn Kurtz, Time, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for stepchild

• beguiled
• brainchild
• compiled
• defiled
• exiled
• grandchild
• profiled
• refiled
• reviled
• stockpiled
• domiciled
• reconciled

Kids Definition

stepchild

noun

step·​child ˈstep-ˌchīld 

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