nearest and dearest

Idioms  

1. One's closest and fondest friends, companions, or relatives, as in It's a small gathering—we're inviting only a dozen or so of our nearest and dearest. This rhyming expression has been used ironically since the late 1500s, as well as by Shakespeare in 1 Henry IV (3:2): “Why, Harry, do I tell thee of my foes, which art my nearest and dearest enemy?”

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Example Sentences

Your nearest and dearest may be aware you do it, but you don’t discuss it with strangers.

From The Wall Street Journal

My husband and I watch “Love Is Blind” with one of those nearest and dearest, and we three approach each season like rabid sports fans who are only in it to yell at the TV.

From Salon

Our nearest and dearest—who can be disappointed and judgy when we don’t do things their way—can be part of the problem, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

As long as you and your wife have enough set aside for retirement, keep living the dream and passing it along to your nearest and dearest.

From MarketWatch

Beginning in 2013, the year that she purchased her Watch Hill dwelling for $17.75 million, Swift has gathered some of her nearest and dearest at the property to mark the patriotic holiday in true celebrity style.

From MarketWatch