sully

¹sul·ly

verb \ˈsə-lē\

sul·liedsul·ly·ing

Definition of SULLY

transitive verb

: to make soiled or tarnished : defile

Examples of SULLY

1. <people that sully our state parks with their trash>
2. <a once-gleaming marble interior sullied by decades of exposure to cigarette smoke>

Origin of SULLY

Middle English *sullien, probably alteration (influenced by Anglo-French suillier, soiller to soil) of sulen to soil, from Old English sylian

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to SULLY

Synonyms: befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, blacken, daub, distain [archaic], foul, gaum [dialect], grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, dirty

Antonyms: clean, cleanse

Related Words: contaminate, defile, pollute, taint; discolor; confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle; colly [chiefly British dialect], crock [dialect]

Near Antonyms: decontaminate, purge, purify; disinfect, sanitize; brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe; brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up); straighten (up), tidy (up)

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Rhymes with SULLY

cully, gully