babbittry en · NOUN
Etymology
From Babbitt + -ry, after the character in Sinclair Lewis' novel Babbitt.
Meanings
-
(uncountable) Narrow-minded materialism.
For most of this century, writers on the left have portrayed small cities as stifling enclaves of Babbittry and reaction, but today they are seen as refreshing oases from commercialized mass society—potential centers of community and local activism.
1997 September 15, David Brooks, “The Rise of the Latte Town”, in Washington Examiner:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babbittry | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
ru обыва́тельщина (narrow minded materialism) · pl drobnomieszczaństwo (narrow minded materialism) · fr matérialisme petit-bourgeois (narrow minded materialism)