as in stained
not clean
lying in sullied bed linens that had not seen the inside of a washing machine for some time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in blackened
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sullied
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
The publicity emails sent from Amazon regarding the movie have no individual names or email addresses attached, as though no one wanted their career or personal brand sullied by association.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
The Golden Globes are a pure and true celebration of artistry that stand for unflinching moral justice and should not be sullied by avarice!
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
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
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
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
Verb
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
The publicity emails sent from Amazon regarding the movie have no individual names or email addresses attached, as though no one wanted their career or personal brand sullied by association.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
The Golden Globes are a pure and true celebration of artistry that stand for unflinching moral justice and should not be sullied by avarice!
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullied
Adjective
-
Elsewhere in the photoshoot, Pattinson poses with a cigarette in his mouth, pants unbuttoned and in a stained shirt in a black-and-white photo.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Gently massage only the stained area.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The venerable monk was draped in his maroon and saffron robe, his bare feet looking ashen with dust, a few of his toes still blackened from his arduous walk.—
Sarah Hepola,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The building burned to the ground and the soil has been scraped, but that blackened sago palm is still there, sprouting tons of new growth.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Kelli Bryant, 34, was facing three counts each of child abuse related to allegedly forcing her three children, a 15-year-old boy and a 13- and 12-year-old girl, to live in unbearable, filthy conditions in an apartment on Lydia Lane.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Other parts of the ballpark, including the exterior concourse and entrances, were also impacted by the filthy leaks, which stunk to high heaven.—
Gary Phillips,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Related Articles Between her messy buns, muddy blond coloring and makeup-free complexion, Bessette-Kennedy’s beauty was, and still is, revered for its simplicity.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Here’s where the conversation usually gets muddy.—
Sara Payan,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has focused on tourist-friendly areas being besmirched by crime.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
11 Aug. 2025
-
These hardy souls, largely indifferent to political and economic turbulence, were the mainstay of the tourist economy during the civil war that besmirched the lives of an entire generation from the 1980s on.—
Chandrahas Choudhury,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Mar. 2024
Adjective
-
The concern followed Liam Conejo Ramos and his father when they were sent to south Texas' Dilley Immigration Processing Center, surrounded by chain-link fences on a dusty plain about 75 miles south of San Antonio.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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The concern followed Liam Conejo Ramos and his father when they were sent to Dilley, surrounded by chain-link fences on a dusty plain about 75 miles south of San Antonio.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Wash items from least to most soiled in hot water and rinse in another basin for maximum efficiency.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Washing sheets in hot water every time isn’t necessary for linens that are lightly soiled—think no sweaty nights or sickness.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sullied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullied. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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