Synonyms of sully

sully

verb

ˈsə-lē 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stain
• blacken
• dirty
• besmirch
• befoul
• muck
• soil
• muddy
• mess
• smudge
• smirch
• pollute
• contaminate
• daub
• mire
• grime
• taint
• gaum
• foul
• distain
• defile
• bemire
• begrime
• discolor
• disarrange
• confuse
• disarray
• muddle
• jumble
• dishevel
• disorder
• draggle
• colly
• crock

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• cleanse
• purify
• purge
• wipe
• decontaminate
• wash
• sanitize
• disinfect
• sweep
• scrub
• renew
• brush
• scour
• rinse
• launder
• brighten
• dust
• mop
• freshen
• straighten (up)
• spruce (up)
• dry-clean
• deodorize
• tidy (up)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sully

The film hinges on a small moment that not only sullies the trip but leads her character to reconsider her understanding of her father. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Such shenanigans are more or less expected, and certainly haven’t forever sullied the American soccer fan base, at least here at home. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

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

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