as in contamination
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Dissimilar Words
as in staining
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
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Recent Examples of sullying
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Social media was full of people accusing Canada of sullying the great sport and sportsmanship of curling.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 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
The scale of the fraud in Minnesota dwarfs the roughly $100 million welfare scandal that rocked Mississippi from 2016 to 2019, embroiling former NFL quarterback Brett Favre in a civil lawsuit and sullying the state’s reputation for oversight.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
Part of the art of airing dirty laundry lies in sullying oneself in the process.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Verb
And could a second season, sans the extraordinary talents of Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, deliver a story and themes in keeping with that brand, without sullying what was so deviously tricky about the original series and its tone?
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Social media was full of people accusing Canada of sullying the great sport and sportsmanship of curling.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 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
The scale of the fraud in Minnesota dwarfs the roughly $100 million welfare scandal that rocked Mississippi from 2016 to 2019, embroiling former NFL quarterback Brett Favre in a civil lawsuit and sullying the state’s reputation for oversight.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
Part of the art of airing dirty laundry lies in sullying oneself in the process.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullying
Noun
-
Some team members visited pig slaughterhouses, where the GI tract is typically removed from the meat to prevent contamination.—
Sara Talpos — Undark,
STAT,
1 June 2026
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The environmental activist who won $333 million for hundreds of people affected by utility company PG&E’s groundwater contamination is now turning her focus to data centers.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Use place mats or tablecloths on your kitchen table to keep food spills, condensation from drinks, and utensils from marring or staining the surface.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
And the incident was one of four mechanical problems with the LCS fleet in a year, staining the reputation of the ships’ reliability.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Noun
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It’s made of 10K gold, so any tarnishing that happens down the line can likely be cleaned or polished away.—
Olivia Dubyak,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
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Make sure to hand-wash any copper items or other precious metals to keep their shine and luster intact and avoid discoloration or tarnishing.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone air pollution in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Monday.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 May 2026
-
The state took an interest in the mid-2000s, and in 2007, the pollution control agency and 3M reached an agreement to address PFAS contamination at four disposal areas.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
Adam Roy,
Outside,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In her response, Hajdini cast Rana as manipulative and deceitful, intent on ruining her life and besmirching her employer through his sensational accusations.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
-
Kelly believes a book like this hasn’t been written before because people weren’t ready to hear the truth – as though acknowledging these famous people’s complete life experiences would be besmirching their legacies.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Also on the good side of things is Sean Bell’s lanky Sir Robin, the not-quite-so-brave, armor-soiling knight.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
-
On TikTok, as The Washington Post has reported, some creators are making $5,000 a month using AI tools to write scripts and animate extremely dumb viral videos where old men talk about soiling themselves.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sullying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullying. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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