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Showing results for sully. Search instead for Sulaym .
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.

As far back as the 1930s, during the infamous “Bodyline” tour, English bowlers were accused of sullying the game by aiming balls directly at Australian batsmen.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The defendants' alleged greed not only established an unfair advantage for select bettors, but also sullied the reputation of America's pastime," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia said in a statement.

From BBC

Maguire and his staff are hippie idealists, wary of sullying their political mission with trivialities like record reviews.

From Los Angeles Times

"Without those answers any sceptical person would be worried that there might be some financial wrongdoing taking place and this would risk sullying the reputation of the Royal family," she added.

From BBC

Macron almost immediately responded on X: "Shame on those who wanted to sully his memory," he wrote.

From Barron's

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.