sullied

American  

[suhl-eed] / ˈsʌl id /

adjective

1. soiled, stained, or tarnished.

   He was above the sullied reputations of some party members, who were thought to be corrupt, greedy, and arrogant.

   To a lover of reading, how beautiful are the sullied pages and worn-out appearance of a well-used book!

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of sully.

Other Word Forms

• unsullied
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sullied

sully + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

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 • Feb. 12, 2026

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 • Feb. 8, 2026

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 • Feb. 6, 2026

Sweeping ocean views are sullied by hollow shells of graffiti-tagged homes and miles of chain-link fencing.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

How’s I s’pose to let you live after you done sullied my rep-a-tation so?”

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Related Words

• contaminated
• crummy
• disheveled
• dusty
• filthy
• greasy
• grimy
• messy
• muddy
• murky
• nasty
• polluted
• sloppy
• stained
• unkempt