nearest and dearest

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

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Disaster would often embrace not only the offender, but also his nearest and dearest, and all those responsible to him.

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Speaking to the jury, Mr Jarvis said that this showed that Mr Ovsiannikov was aware of the sanctions "and he must have made his nearest and dearest aware of that too".

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Regardless of how America votes on Tuesday, Hart — along with his nearest and dearest and estimated $450 million net worth — will be fine.

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Describing himself as a "big family guy", the support of his nearest and dearest has been crucial.

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Thus, Moon writes that she had to “hold the paradox of being told at home by the nearest and dearest to my heart that my contribution means nothing while the world sees me as clever and funny and talented.”

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Nearer Tibet Near Field Communication

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