sullyverb [ T ]
uk/ˈsʌl.i/us/ˈsʌl.i/formalto spoil something that is pure or someone's perfect reputation:
His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos.
to make something dirty:
No speck of dirt had ever sullied his hands.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Damaging reputation
- besmirch
- black mark
- blacken
- blot
- blot your copybook idiom
- calumniate
- dog
- drag sb's name through the mire/mud idiom
- give a dog a bad name idiom
- hurl/throw/sling mud at sb idiom
- impugn
- mud
- poison
- scurrilous
- show someone in a bad light idiom
- slander
- stab
- stain
- taint
- vilify
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Making things dirty & untidy