What it means
نامادری (nâmâdari) means stepmother, the woman who is married to one’s father but is not one’s biological mother. The word is built entirely from pure Persian elements: the prefix nâ- signals negation or a replaced relationship, and mâdar means mother. The suffix -i makes it a noun. نامادری does not carry automatic negative meaning in the word itself, though folk tales and idioms have historically cast the stepmother figure with suspicion. In formal legal writing you may see مادرخوانده (mâdar-khânde, adoptive mother) as a related but distinct term.
How to use it
- نامادریم خیلی باهام مهربونه. (nâmâdari-am khyli bâhâm mehrabun-e.) “My stepmother is very kind to me.”
- بعد از ازدواج بابام، یه نامادری پیدا کردم. (ba’d az ezdevâj-e bâbâm, ye nâmâdari peydâ kardam.) “After my father’s marriage I got a stepmother.”
- نامادریش باهاش زندگی نمیکنه. (nâmâdari-sh bâhâsh zendegi nemi-kone.) “His stepmother does not live with him.”
- رابطهام با نامادریم خوبه. (râbete-am bâ nâmâdari-am khub-e.) “My relationship with my stepmother is good.”
Cultural note
Persian folklore, from classic tales to modern soap operas, often portrays the نامادری as a difficult figure, but real family experience varies widely. As divorce and remarriage have become more visible in Iranian urban society, the word has lost some of its loaded edge in everyday conversation. It is the neutral, standard term used in legal documents, school paperwork, and ordinary speech alike, with no formal euphemism replacing it.