stepsister

[step-sis-ter]

noun

1. one's stepfather's or stepmother's daughter by a previous marriage.

stepsister

/ ˈstɛpˌsɪstə /

noun

1. a daughter of one's stepmother or stepfather by a union with someone other than one's father or mother respectively

Word History and Origins

Origin of stepsister¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; step-, sister

Example Sentences

She will get the money, but only if she agrees to her stepsister’s unusual proposal: to marry her wayward fiance, who comes from a wealthy family but also has a rap sheet.

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But “Grounded” would have been better left without its imposed topic, which inadvertently casts much work as ugly stepsisters unsuccessfully trying to jam their feet into Cinderella’s glass slipper.

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Hahn: It’s interesting, Mark, because I’ve always felt kind of like basically just invited to the party, so I always have felt like the messy stepsister on the outside looking in.

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I didn’t choose “Cinderella,” or the stepsister, the story of “Cinderella” through the stepsister chose me.

Read more on Salon

Despite the family's efforts to protect them, her younger stepsisters found out that their father and mother were trapped under the rubble from other children at school.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• aunt 
• cousin 
• father 
• folk 
• mother 
• niece 
• sibling 
• uncle