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The spelling of sully has shifted several times since it was sylian in Old English, but its meaning has remained essentially the same: "to soil." In case you are wondering whether sullen (meaning "gloomy or morose") is a relative, the answer is "no." Sullen comes from Latin solus, meaning "alone."
Examples of sully in a Sentence
Verb
people that sully our state parks with their trash
a once-gleaming marble interior sullied by decades of exposure to cigarette smoke
Recent Examples on the Web
Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
But a battlefield promotion to Ayatollah was arranged, blending faith with politics in an exercise that critics said sullied both even before Khamenei reinforced his position by earthly means, elevating the IRGC.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Social media was full of people accusing Canada of sullying the great sport and sportsmanship of curling.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Yasmin, who was ousted from Pierpoint after a tabloid scandal involving her publishing-magnate father threatened to sully the bank by association, has turned to another undependable man for salvation, proposing to an aristocratic failson called Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington).
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sully
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Verb
Crowds were relatively small last month, especially compared to March weekends in the years after the COVID pandemic, when thousands of young people packed Ocean Drive and the party was sullied by shootings, stampedes and curfews.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
But a battlefield promotion to Ayatollah was arranged, blending faith with politics in an exercise that critics said sullied both even before Khamenei reinforced his position by earthly means, elevating the IRGC.
—Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
Social media was full of people accusing Canada of sullying the great sport and sportsmanship of curling.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Yasmin, who was ousted from Pierpoint after a tabloid scandal involving her publishing-magnate father threatened to sully the bank by association, has turned to another undependable man for salvation, proposing to an aristocratic failson called Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington).
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sully
Cite this Entry
“Sully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sully. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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