sully

1 of 2

verb

sul·​ly ˈsə-lē How to pronounce sully (audio)
sullied; sullying
Synonyms of sullynext

transitive verb

: to make soiled or tarnished : defile

sully

2 of 2

noun

plural sullies
archaic
: soil, stain

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
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Verb
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 The problem is, people were drinking a lot of bad ones, sullying their opinion of the drink. Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2026 Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026 Those campaigns were seemingly effective; crowds in South Beach last March were much smaller than in the past, when multiple spring break periods had been sullied by shootings, stampedes and curfews. Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sully

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1601, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sully was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Sully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sully. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

sully

verb
sul·​ly
ˈsəl-ē
sullied; sullying
: to make soiled or tarnished

Biographical Definition

Sully 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Sul·​ly ˈsə-lē How to pronounce Sully (audio)
(ˌ)sə-ˈlē
sᵫ-ˈlē
Duc de 1560–1641 Maximilien de Béthune Baron de Rosny də-rō-ˈnē How to pronounce Sully (audio) French statesman

Sully

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Sul·​ly ˈsə-lē How to pronounce Sully (audio)
Thomas 1783–1872 American (English-born) painter

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