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Synonyms

sully

1 American  
[suhl-ee] / ˈsʌl i /

verb (used with object)

sullied, sullying

  1. to soil, stain, or tarnish.

    Synonyms:
    contaminate, blemish, taint

  2. to mar the purity or luster of; defile.

    to sully a reputation.
    Synonyms:
    dishonor, disgrace, dirty

verb (used without object)

sullied, sullying

  1. to become sullied, soiled, or tarnished.

noun

plural

sullies

  1. Obsolete. a stain; soil.

Sully 2 American  
[suhl-ee, sy-lee] / ˈsʌl i, süˈli /

noun

  1. Maximilien de Béthune Duc de, 1560–1641, French statesman.

  2. Thomas, 1783–1872, U.S. painter, born in England.

sully 1 British  
/ ˈsʌlɪ /

verb

  1. to stain or tarnish (a reputation, etc) or (of a reputation) to become stained or tarnished

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a stain

  2. the act of sullying

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Sully 2 British  
/ sylli, ˈsʌlɪ /

noun

  1. 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • sulliable adjective
  • unsulliable adjective

Etymology

Origin of sully

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

None of the high-born men he knows would sully their steel in the name of protecting the innocent.

From Salon

Anyone associated in any way with Jeffrey Epstein would sully the Olympics, especially an organizer thereof.

From Los Angeles Times

I had imagined that retirement would offer a life unshackled at last, a blissful new chapter in which workplace anxiety no longer sullied my contentment.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he has been tipped to potentially replace Thomas Tuchel as England boss after the World Cup and will not want his reputation sullied by a poor end to the season.

From Barron's

I'm not surprised to see air pollution, it's why we're doing the experiment, but I can't escape a feeling of being dirtied, contaminated… sullied by it.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.