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

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

But some people said borrowing from their nearest and dearest had affected those relationships.

From BBC

One section of the exhibition consists of portrait busts of emperors such as Trajan and Hadrian grouped with their nearest and dearest—wives and designated followers.

From The Wall Street Journal