as in to stain
to make dirty
people that sully our state parks with their trash a once-gleaming marble interior sullied by decades of exposure to cigarette smoke
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sully
The brewery’s brand has been sullied by Harvey Weinstein-level ick that the PR response so far has just made worse.
—
Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
For all the ways Disney’s move sullies it with creatives in Hollywood, OpenAI’s new partner does the opposite — gives it massive cred in Silicon Valley.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
Barrick’s North American operations have been sullied by the company’s exposure to higher-risk regions and separating the two would go a long way to close the valuation gap between Barrick and Agnico Eagle.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
The market for voluntary carbon offset and removal credits has been struggling for the last several years to repair a reputation sullied by numerous greenwashing scandals.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sully
Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
For all the ways Disney’s move sullies it with creatives in Hollywood, OpenAI’s new partner does the opposite — gives it massive cred in Silicon Valley.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
Barrick’s North American operations have been sullied by the company’s exposure to higher-risk regions and separating the two would go a long way to close the valuation gap between Barrick and Agnico Eagle.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
The market for voluntary carbon offset and removal credits has been struggling for the last several years to repair a reputation sullied by numerous greenwashing scandals.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sully
Verb
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His house in Minneapolis sits between two neighborhoods stained by bloodshed where Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal immigration officers during a surge of immigration enforcement that has ignited outrage and protests across the country.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
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The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.—
Greg Cote
February 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday morning, fire department trucks were tearing down the affected side of the building, which was entirely blackened and hollowed out from the flames.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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There's no better tool for making biscuits, cornbread, or blackened chicken than a cast-iron skillet.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Imagine having the gall to besmirch the name of a young mother killed for trying to speak up for her neighbors or of an ICU nurse shot in the back for trying to tend to a woman who had been pepper-sprayed in the face.—
Sasha Abramsky,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
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The lack of awards buzz shouldn’t besmirch Amanda Seyfried’s performance here, though, which is great.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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They should not be thrown, jumped off, eaten, screamed at, or otherwise befouled.—
Eddie Small,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
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The natural world may be past saving, particularly as a habitat for the species that has so utterly befouled it, and, yet, what else is there to do but keep on keeping on?—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sully. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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