This is the 1571st most frequent Russian word.
самыми
The Russian word "самыми" is the instrumental plural form of "самый," meaning "the most" or "the very."
"Самыми" is used as an instrumental plural form of "самый," modifying "лучшими" to indicate "the very best" in a descriptive relationship.
Они были самыми лучшими друзьями.
They were the best friends.
"Самыми" is the instrumental plural form used to emphasize the quality of "популярными," indicating a superlative state among books.
Эти книги стали самыми популярными в этом году.
These books became the most popular this year.
"Самыми" emphasizes "близкими людьми," marking a distinction as "the very closest" in a comparative sense.