circle of acquaintances
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circle of acquaintances
All the people one knows, but who are not necessarily close friends.
Wir haben die Neuigkeit nur im engsten Bekanntenkreis erzählt.
We only shared the news within our closest circle of acquaintances.
The word is made up of 'Bekannten' (acquaintances, people one knows) and 'Kreis' (circle). So it figuratively describes the 'circle' of people one knows, but who are not necessarily close friends.
Er hat einen riesigen Bekanntenkreis, aber nur wenige echte Freunde.
He has a huge circle of acquaintances, but only a few real friends.
'Bekanntenkreis' (circle of acquaintances) is often combined with adjectives that describe its size or the closeness of the relationships. Common phrases are 'ein großer/kleiner Bekanntenkreis' (a large/small circle of acquaintances) or 'ein enger/weiter Bekanntenkreis' (a close/wide circle of acquaintances).
Sie hat einen sehr weiten Bekanntenkreis und kennt Leute auf der ganzen Welt.
She has a very wide circle of acquaintances and knows people all over the world.
When describing that something happens or is known within this group of people, you almost always use the preposition 'in' with the dative: 'im Bekanntenkreis' (within the circle of acquaintances).
Die Nachricht von ihrer Hochzeit verbreitete sich schnell im Bekanntenkreis.
The news of her wedding spread quickly within her circle of acquaintances.
