A woman who is the spouse of one's parent after remarriage; a stepmother (not biologically related).
彼は幼い頃に継母に育てられた。
He was raised by his stepmother when he was little.
継母と実母を混同して扱わないように配慮するべきだ。
You should be careful not to treat a stepmother and a biological mother the same.
物語には冷たい継母がよく登場するが、現実は様々だ。
Stories often feature a cold stepmother, but reality is varied.