stepfamily

plural stepfamilies · alternative step family

1. Any family having one or more stepchildren or stepparents.

   Meanwhile, thanks to the huge number of second marriages, a third of all Americans are part of a stepfamily.

   2006 May 17, Po Bronson, “Are Stepparents Real Parents?”, in Time, archived from the original on 25 Dec 2024

   1 more example

   Researchers are finding that the incidence of violence and abuse is vastly greater in stepfamilies than in traditional families in which the children are biologically related to both parents and to one other.

   1998 October 2, Jane E. Brody, “Genetic Ties May Be Factor In Violence in Stepfamilies”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms: blended family, patchwork family

2. The family of one's stepfather or stepmother; those immediate family members not related by blood.