I feel like a stepchild
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Said by one who is being left out of the fun or getting none of the titbits. Step-children are proverbially treated by the step-parent with somewhat less con- sideration than the others.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “I feel like a stepchild” mean?
Said by one who is being left out of the fun or getting none of the titbits. Step-children are proverbially treated by the step-parent with somewhat less con- sideration than the others.
Is “I feel like a stepchild” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.