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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sullied
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.
—
Amanda Rosa
updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 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
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
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
Verb
Soap invited its viewers to take jabs at the genre in a time when the soap opera’s reputation had already been sullied in the American mind.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.
—
Amanda Rosa
updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullied
Adjective
-
Spread the mixture on the stained area; leave it for 15 minutes before wiping it away with a microfiber cloth.
-
Visitors stroll from room to room, surrounded by stained glass and sacred cremains, serving witness to moving and often head-scratching performances.
Verb
-
The Iron fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected Saturday and had blackened 34 square miles, authorities said.
-
The Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected Saturday and had blackened 34 square miles (87 square kilometers), authorities said.
Adjective
-
And a great bench of freelancers is making this all-American game feel dramatic, approachable, and exciting—even to filthy casuals.
-
But, the freedom loving sane people of this great country came to Karoline's defense to show support, destroy the filthy LIBS and celebrate the greatest press secretary this country has ever employed.
Verb
-
When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.
-
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.
Adjective
-
The rapid spread of the disease is exacerbated by the nature of gold mining, which involves muddy pits filled with miners surrounding the town.
-
Catfish and carp, on the other hand, are true bottom feeders, hence the muddy flavor injection in their flesh.
Verb
-
Bryna Laub, editor of Daytime Serial Newsletter, felt the show besmirched the sanctity of soaps and contributed to the broader currents of shame surrounding the genre.
-
And thus one of the more wholesome and fun events in the White House calendar was besmirched by a man who simply cannot stop with the zero-sum partisan nonsense even when surrounded by impressionable young faces.
Adjective
-
Looking for a heritage bolt of fabric without having to comb through the dusty shelves of an antiques store?
-
On the dusty backroads of Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen and his pals live, a shower of meteors threatened to bring destruction upon the quarter-size cars in a scene that disaster movie king Roland Emmerich would endorse.
Verb
-
The establishment remained closed after a reinspection, during which health inspectors observed unresolved violations including food stored at unsafe temperatures, multiple flies in the kitchen, soiled flooring under cooking equipment among others.
-
Heavily soiled or infrequently washed items, like curtains, may also benefit from being washed in warm or hot water.
Cite this Entry
“Sullied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullied. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
