half sister
Noun A female sibling who shares one biological parent with you, but not both. This relationship occurs when two people have either the same mother but different fathers, or the same father but different mothers.
The term "half sister" is used to specify a familial relationship that is genetically half as close as that of a full sister. It is a neutral, factual term commonly used in legal, genealogical, and everyday contexts.
- After my father remarried, I gained a half sister from his new marriage.
- Although we have different mothers, she is my half sister because we share the same father.
- My half sister and I are planning a vacation together.
- The term can be used in possessive form: "my half sister's birthday."
- It is often contrasted with "full sister" or "whole sister" to clarify the degree of biological relation.
- In some family dynamics, the "half" prefix may be omitted in casual conversation to emphasize emotional closeness, though the technical relationship remains.
- Half sibling: (noun) The gender-neutral term for a sibling sharing one parent.
- Half brother: (noun) A male sibling who shares one biological parent with you.
- Stepsister is a synonym. A stepsister is the daughter of a stepparent, with no biological relation.
The term refers strictly to a biological connection. It does not describe the legal relationship created by adoption (which would be an adoptive sister) or the social relationship created by marriage (which would be a stepsister). The quality of the personal relationship between half sisters can range from very close to distant, independent of the genetic link.
- a sister who has only one parent in common with you