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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sully
The Redflex name had been sullied after allegations that employees of the red-light camera vendor were partaking in bribery schemes allegedly taking place in 2012 across 13 states, including Illinois.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Cycling, too, has made changes to cleanse a reputation sullied by the likes of Lance Armstrong.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The standards increase every year and the school’s reputation will not be sullied by the Ono decision.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Tracing the Mississippi River, this 85-mile region is home to numerous petrochemical plants, which have sullied the air.
—Henna Hundal, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sully
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Cycling, too, has made changes to cleanse a reputation sullied by the likes of Lance Armstrong.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The standards increase every year and the school’s reputation will not be sullied by the Ono decision.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Tracing the Mississippi River, this 85-mile region is home to numerous petrochemical plants, which have sullied the air.
—Henna Hundal, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sully
Verb
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The color is also anti-fade, and won’t stain, shrink, or wrinkle.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Aug. 2025
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Block after block across metropolitan Milwaukee, piles of soaked carpets, waterlogged appliances and furniture stained beyond recognition now slump in front yards and along sidewalks.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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McFarland had been at the nursing home since March of 2022, when he was admitted as a hospice patient with a severe case of frostbite that left his feet blackened.—
Sarah Volpenhein,
jsonline.com,
25 July 2025
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Especially when his head gave a sickening whirl, blackening for a second, and his limbs seized again.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
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As more success suddenly comes his way, McKinstry has remained the same, friendly and chuckling at his locker, dirtying his jersey and pestering opponents on the field.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
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The Confederate flag was carried through its premises, the flag of an old attack on this country and its (often jettisoned and besmirched but still significant) ideals of equality.—
Rebecca Solnit
January 9,
Literary Hub,
9 Jan. 2021
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Their reputations were besmirched.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The natural world may be past saving, particularly as a habitat for the species that has so utterly befouled it, and, yet, what else is there to do but keep on keeping on?—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
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Capitalism is degrading us, killing us and befouling our world.—
Philip Kennicott,
Washington Post,
8 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Sully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sully. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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