sully Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun United States painter (born in England) of portraits and historical scenes (1783-1872)
    Thomas Sully.
  2. noun French statesman (1560-1641)
    Maxmilien de Bethune; Duc de Sully.
  3. verb place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
    defile; corrupt; taint; cloud.
    • sully someone's reputation
  4. verb make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
    tarnish; stain; maculate; defile.
    • The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air
    • Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man
  5. verb charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
    smirch; smear; defame; asperse; slander; denigrate; calumniate; besmirch.
    • The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation

WordNet

Sul"ly transitive verb
Etymology
OE. sulien, AS. sylian, fr. sol mire; akin to G. suhle mire, sich, sühlen to wallow, Sw. söla to bemire, Dan. söle, Goth. bisaulijan to defile.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Sullied ; present participle & verbal noun Sullying
Definitions
  1. To soil; to dirty; to spot; to tarnish; to stain; to darken; -- used literally and figuratively; as, to sully a sword; to sully a person's reputation.
    Statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke. Roscommon.
    No spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity. Atterbury.
Sul"ly intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To become soiled or tarnished.
    Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding. Bacon.
Sul"ly noun
Wordforms
plural Sullies
Definitions
  1. Soil; tarnish; stain.
    A noble and triumphant merit breaks through little spots and sullies in his reputation. Spectator.

Webster 1913