Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense sullies, present participle sullying, past tense, past participle sullied
1. verb
If something is sulliedby something else, it is damaged so that it is no longer pure or of such high value.
[formal]
The City's reputation has been sullied by these scandals. [beVERB-ed]
She claimed they were sullying her good name. [VERB noun]
2. verb
If someone sullies something, they make it dirty.
[formal]
I felt loath to sully the gleaming brass knocker by handling it. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: defile, dirty, stain, spot More Synonyms of sully
More Synonyms of sully
sully in British English
(ˈsʌlɪ)
verbWord forms: -lies, -lying or -lied
1.
to stain or tarnish (a reputation, etc) or (of a reputation) to become stained or tarnished
nounWord forms: plural-lies
2.
a stain
3.
the act of sullying
Derived forms
sulliable (ˈsulliable)
adjective
Word origin
C16: probably from French souiller to soil
Sully in British English
(ˈsʌlɪ, French sylli)
noun
Maximilien de Béthune (maksimiljɛ̃ də betyn), Duc de Sully. 1559–1641, French statesman; minister of Henry IV. He helped restore the finances of France after the Wars of Religion
Sully in American English
(ˈsʌli; also, for 1, French syˈli)
1.
Duc de(Maximilien de Béthune) 1560-1641; Fr. statesman
2.
Thomas1783-1872; U.S. painter, born in England
sully in American English
(ˈsʌli)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈsullied or ˈsullying
1.
to soil, stain, tarnish, or besmirch, now esp. by disgracing
verb intransitive
2. Obsolete
to become sullied
nounWord forms: pluralˈsullies
3. Archaic
a stain or tarnish; defilement
Word origin
prob. < Fr souiller < OFr soillier: see soil2
More idioms containing
sully
sully your hands
Examples of 'sully' in a sentence
sully
And the reputation of his organisation has been further sullied with him.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
His furious lunge at the snapper has sullied his clean-cut image.
The Sun (2013)
THE credit crunch floored giants and sullied the reputations of some of the business world's biggest hitters.
The Sun (2008)
It is simply not worth having a failure against your name; a sullied reputation means a manager who may have blown his last chance.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We felt powerless as players because as soon as somebody says something like that and it is read by cricket followers, our names are sullied.
The Sun (2010)
If you don't and your name is sullied, you get an apology.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Its reputation might be sullied, but it's going to improve.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And, if my teeth had to have their reputation sullied, then so be it.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But his reputation, already sullied by allegations of cheating earlier in his career, is now in tatters.
The Sun (2009)
1 (verb)
Definition
to ruin (someone's reputation)
Reputations are easily sullied and business lost.
Synonyms
dishonour
I don't want to dishonour the men and women who risk their lives to keep us safe.
ruin
disgrace
These soldiers have disgraced their regiment.
besmirch
Lawyers can besmirch reputations.
smirch
2 (verb)
Definition
to spoil or make dirty
I felt loath to sully the gleaming brass knocker by handling it.
Synonyms
defile
piles of old clothes defiled with excrement
dirty
He was afraid the dog's hairs might dirty the seats.
stain
It was too late. Their reputation had been stained.
spot
a brown shoe spotted with paint
spoil
contaminate
The fishing waters have been contaminated with toxic wastes.
pollute
beaches polluted by sewage pumped into the sea
taint
Rancid oil will taint the flavour.
tarnish
It never rusts or tarnishes.
blemish
She wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.
Nobody wanted to blemish his reputation at that time.
befoul
Additional synonyms
in the sense of besmirch
Definition
to tarnish (someone's name or reputation)
Lawyers can besmirch reputations.
Synonyms
tarnish,
damage,
soil,
stain,
smear,
taint,
blacken,
daub,
slander,
sully,
dishonour,
defame,
drag through the mud,
smirch
in the sense of blemish
Definition
to spoil or tarnish
She wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.Nobody wanted to blemish his reputation at that time.
Synonyms
dishonour,
mark,
damage,
spot,
injure,
ruin,
mar,
spoil,
stain,
blur,
disgrace,
impair,
taint,
tarnish,
blot,
smudge,
disfigure,
sully,
deface,
blotch,
besmirch,
smirch
in the sense of contaminate
Definition
to make impure
The fishing waters have been contaminated with toxic wastes.
Synonyms
pollute,
infect,
stain,
corrupt,
taint,
sully,
defile,
adulterate,
befoul,
soil
Nearby words of
sully
sulky
sullen
sullenness
sully
sulphur
sultry
sum
Synonyms of 'sully'
sully
Explore 'sully' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dirty
Definition
to make dirty
He was afraid the dog's hairs might dirty the seats.
Synonyms
soil,
foul,
stain,
spoil,
smear,
muddy,
pollute,
blacken,
mess up,
smudge,
sully,
defile,
smirch,
begrime
in the sense of disgrace
Definition
to bring shame upon (oneself or others)
These soldiers have disgraced their regiment.
Synonyms
shame,
stain,
humiliate,
discredit,
degrade,
taint,
sully,
dishonour,
stigmatize,
defame,
abase,
bring shame upon
in the sense of pollute
Definition
to contaminate with poisonous or harmful substances
beaches polluted by sewage pumped into the sea
Synonyms
contaminate,
dirty,
mar,
poison,
soil,
foul,
infect,
spoil,
stain,
taint,
adulterate,
make filthy,
smirch,
befoul
in the sense of spot
Definition
to put stains or spots on (something)
a brown shoe spotted with paint
Synonyms
mark,
stain,
dot,
soil,
dirty,
scar,
taint,
tarnish,
blot,
fleck,
spatter,
sully,
speckle,
besmirch,
splodge,
splotch,
mottle,
smirch
in the sense of stain
It was too late. Their reputation had been stained.
Synonyms
disgrace,
taint,
blacken,
sully,
corrupt,
contaminate,
deprave,
defile,
besmirch,
drag through the mud
in the sense of taint
Definition
to spoil or contaminate by an undesirable quality
Rancid oil will taint the flavour.
Synonyms
spoil,
ruin,
contaminate,
damage,
soil,
dirty,
poison,
foul,
infect,
stain,
corrupt,
smear,
muddy,
pollute,
blight,
tarnish,
blot,
blemish,
sully,
defile,
adulterate,
besmirch,
vitiate,
smirch
in the sense of tarnish
Definition
(of a metal) to become stained or less bright, esp. by exposure to air or moisture