babbittism

Etymology

From Babbitt + -ism.

babbittism means A complacently materialistic middle-class attitude. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

BABBITTISM — [Noun] The smugly complacent attitude of a middle-class person who unthinkingly conforms to the materialistic and boosterish values of commercial society. From the proper name Babbitt (the protagonist of Sinclair Lewis's 1922 novel, typifying such attitudes) + the suffix -ism (denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy). Unlike philistinism, which suggests a blunt hostility to culture, or bourgeoisie, which neutrally names a socioeconomic class, Babbittism denotes the specific, cheerful piety of the convert: the worship of prosperity as a moral virtue. It is the hearty backslap at a chamber of commerce luncheon, the gleaming status-signifying automobile, and the meticulously kept lawn that serves as both a badge of honor and a cordon sanitaire against the irregular—a quiet, prosperous tyranny of the soul that does not recognize itself as tyranny.

noun

A complacently materialistic middle-class attitude.