1. a stepmother
Usage: archaic

Examples

• The fairy tale featured a cruel stepdame who mistreated her stepchildren.
• In medieval literature, the stepdame was often portrayed as a villain.
• The orphaned children feared their new stepdame would be unkind.
• Old stories frequently depicted the stepdame as jealous of her predecessor.
• The stepdame in the tale favored her own children over her stepchildren.