Meanings
babbittry1
nounbabbittry (uncountable)
alternative Babbittry
- uncountableNarrow-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
Babbittry2
nounBabbittry (uncountable)
- alternativeuncountableAlternative form of babbittry.
Origin
From Babbitt + -ry, after the character in Sinclair Lewis' novel Babbitt.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French matérialisme petit-bourgeois
- matérialisme petit-bourgeoisnarrow minded materialism
Polish drobnomieszczaństwo
- drobnomieszczaństwonarrow minded materialism
Russian обыва́тельщина
- обыва́тельщина (obyvátelʹščina)narrow minded materialism
Cite this entry
APA
babbittry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/babbittry
MLA
“babbittry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/babbittry. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “babbittry,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/babbittry.
Source: babbittry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.