Babbitt

noun

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Bab·bitt | \ ˈba-bət

Definition of Babbitt

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person and especially a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards

Babbitt

biographical name

Bab·bitt | \ ˈba-bət

Definition of Babbitt (Entry 2 of 2)

Irving 1865–1933 American scholar

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The values, attitudes, and mores associated with the American middle class in the 1920s can be summed up in the word Babbitry. It derives from the protagonist of Babbitt, a satirical novel by Sinclair Lewis published in 1922. George F. Babbitt epitomizes the unimaginative and self-important businessmen that Lewis found typical of the provincial cities and towns of America. Despite his evident prosperity and status, he remains vaguely dissatisfied with life and makes tentative attempts at rebellion; however, in the end, he finds his need for social acceptance greater than his desire for escape.