mutual admiration society

Idioms  

1. A relationship in which two people have strong feelings of esteem for each other and often exchange lavish compliments. The term may signify either genuine or pretended admiration, as in Each of them praised the other's book—it was a real mutual admiration society. The expression was invented by Henry David Thoreau in his journal (1851) and repeated by Oliver Wendell Holmes and others.

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Example Sentences

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mutual admiration society

Thyme and honey belong to a mutual admiration society, as do berries and buttermilk; the woodiness of the herb plays beautifully against tangy yogurt, while orange zest somehow charms the entire table.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Goolagong Cawley made it clear in an interview Sunday that it was a mutual admiration society.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 10, 2021

So it became a sort of mutual admiration society, which is wonderful, making friends and finding they had no problems asking me things that are important to them.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2021

Miami story line is shaping up as little more than a meeting of the mutual admiration society, albeit with a championship at stake.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 29, 2020

They were a mutual admiration society of two, and Glerk could not bear it.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill