Meanings
- derogatoryslangUsed as a generic name for an ill-behaved or spoiled child.
Seems his dear Bratley had thrown a rock and broken a windsheild^([sic]) on a passerby's car.
1999 November 13, Johnson, “Judge Judy”, in alt.support.childfree (Usenet)2 more examples
Of course Bratley was running back and forth and back and forth in front of the performing area, trying to get the attention of his father who was playing the violin with much gusto.
2002 January 18, Artaxiel [username], “So I clotheslined an eight-year old^([sic])...”, in alt.support.childfree (Usenet)Even as we rolled our cart out to the parking lot, we could hear Bratley squalling away in the distance, gradually fading as the doors slid shut behind us.
2002 July 31, Salome, “Yesterday at the supermarket...”, in alt.support.childfree (Usenet)Synonyms: Snotley
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounUsed as a generic name for an ill-behaved or spoiled child.
Origin
- Old Englishleah“clearing, meadow”
- EnglishBratley
brat + -ley, a suffix used in several popular names, including Ashley and Bradley, from Old English leah (“clearing, meadow”).
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Bratley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bratley
“Bratley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bratley. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bratley,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bratley.
Source: Bratley on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.