bratty
Americanadjective
Usage
What does bratty mean? Bratty describes someone or something considered to be ill-mannered, rude, impolite, or overly irritatingly. The term is often used to be hurtful or judgemental of the one being labeled bratty. The person using the term usually disapproves of someone’s actions, whether or not those actions are breaking social conventions. While children are most often the ones labeled as brats and being bratty, adults and animals can also be labeled as brats and being bratty. You might even hear objects, such as a computer or a car, being called bratty when it isn’t working as expected. Brattiness is sometimes associated with rebellion or indecency, particularly in regards to children. Sometimes, you’ll hear someone call themselves bratty to make fun of themselves or to apologize for something they did. Example: My bratty computer keeps shutting down for no reason!
Etymology
Origin of bratty
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I don’t want to sound bratty because I am on an island, but we plan for one vacation once a year,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
Just this week, for instance, pundit Chris Cillizza displayed the lack of self-awareness he's known for with a bratty article at the Daily Beast, complaining about "vandalism" inflicted on his Tesla.
From Salon • May 30, 2025
Maynes remembers Combs having a short fuse in the office, sometimes banging "his hands up against the desk" like a "bratty kid" and yelling if he did not get his way.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2025
You need someone to stare down bratty antics or blow up misinformation?
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2024
As I wrestled to make that choice, I entered into a phase that would become famously known in my family as “Simone’s bratty period.”
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
