Jump To:

• babbitt
  babbitt

  noun

  Babbitt metal.
• Babbitt
  Babbitt

  noun

  Irving, 1865–1933, U.S. educator and critic.

babbitt

¹ American  

[bab-it] / ˈbæb ɪt /

noun

1. Babbitt metal.

2. a bearing or lining of Babbitt metal.

---

adjective

1. pertaining to or made of Babbitt metal.

verb (used with object)

1. to line, face, or furnish with Babbitt metal.

Babbitt ² American  

[bab-it] / ˈbæb ɪt /

noun

1. Irving, 1865–1933, U.S. educator and critic.

2. Milton Byron, 1916–2011, U.S. composer.

3. (italics) a novel (1922) by Sinclair Lewis.

4. (often lowercase) a self-satisfied person who conforms readily to conventional, middle-class ideas and ideals, especially of business and material success; Philistine: from the main character in the novel by Sinclair Lewis.

---

Babbitt ¹ British  

/ ˈbæbɪt /

noun

1. derogatory a narrow-minded and complacent member of the middle class

---

babbitt ² British  

/ ˈbæbɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to line (a bearing) or face (a surface) with Babbitt metal or a similar soft alloy

---

Babbitt Cultural  

1. (1922) A novel by Sinclair Lewis. The title character, an American real estate agent in a small city, is portrayed as a crass, loud, overoptimistic boor who thinks only about money and speaks in clichés, such as “You've gotta have pep, by golly!”

---

Discover More

By extension, a “Babbitt” is a narrow-minded, materialistic businessman.

Other Word Forms

• Babbittry
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of babbitt

First recorded in 1900–05; short for Babbitt metal

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

babbitt Babbitt

Varying proportions of copper and tin give gun metal, bell metal, babbitt metal and many another alloy, the greater the percentage of tin the harder being the resulting composition.

From Time Magazine Archive

He, a kindly babbitt, understands and finally helps Patsy to find the arms of the realtor.

From Time Magazine Archive

Advantages, claimed in a Du Pont patent: no lubrication required; less friction, vibration, heat; longer wear and ability to carry heavier loads than bearings made of bronze, brass, babbitt metal.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is not human nature to imagine yourself a nobody Babbitt doing any no-account and nasty business in any Middle Western babbitt warren.

From Time Magazine Archive

This ladle will be found convenient for melting babbitt or lead.

From The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 700 Things for Boys to Do by Popular Mechanics Co.

“It knows that you’re in that particular store and you can be in ‘store mode,’” said Walmart spokesperson Robyn Babbitt.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

For example, it had nothing to do with the chance music of John Cage or the meticulously plotted complications of Milton Babbitt and Elliott Carter, the American heroes of ’70s modernism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

Matfess pointed to how the role of martyr cemented a view of Babbitt for Trump’s followers.

From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2026

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who oversaw management of the river under President Clinton, said the findings will help provide a solid factual base for discussions about the river’s future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2024

And this had happened because I had read a novel about a mythical man called George F. Babbitt.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---