Like a stereotypical fairy-tale stepmother (4)

I believe the answer is:

evil

(Other definitions for evil that I've seen before include "Live kind of badness" , "Vile (anag) -- really bad" , "very naughty" , "no good in this puzzle" , "heinous" .)

I've seen this clue in The New York Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.