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
Starbucks works hard to keep its coffee aroma from being sullied by food and other smells in its stores — employees aren’t even allowed to wear fragrances.
—
Whizy Kim, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Not even a string of disappointing sequels, two bad movies, and odd franchise pivots by Konami has sullied its renown.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
The incident — which revived memories of a massive 3-million-gallon spill almost 50 years earlier — sullied some of the state’s most pristine beaches and a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
An equally nasty battle with Taylor Swift, over his ownership of her song catalogue, had sullied his public image.
—Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sully
Whizy Kim, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Not even a string of disappointing sequels, two bad movies, and odd franchise pivots by Konami has sullied its renown.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
The incident — which revived memories of a massive 3-million-gallon spill almost 50 years earlier — sullied some of the state’s most pristine beaches and a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
An equally nasty battle with Taylor Swift, over his ownership of her song catalogue, had sullied his public image.
—Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sully
Verb
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Although no-makeup may seem ideal in a Parisian train station, which was the inspiration behind the look, poetic taupes shape tired eyes and lips stained with last night’s lipstick speak to weary, bouffant-haired travellers instead.—
India Espy-Jones,
Essence,
13 Mar. 2025
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There are showstoppers, like the Zaveri house (also known as the House with 365 Windows) which is now stained black with grit, its grand pilasters and geometric facade carvings in dire need of restoration, and the Teen Khuniya (or Three-Cornered House), with its distinctive triangular layout.—
Kalpana Sunder,
CNN,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the negro resents and utterly repudiates the effort to blacken his good name by asserting that assaults upon women are peculiar to his race.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
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The goal is for the top to become blackened while the center remains jiggly.—
Lily Moayeri,
SPIN,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Grease dirtied the handles of the ovens, the microwave ovens and the coolers.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
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Instead of dirtying a larger pot for your supporting dishes, this quaint cooker will come in handy for quick (or slower simmering) concoctions while matching your kitchen atmosphere.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Other attempts to besmirch her also fell short — as in the 2024 election, when former Sen. Randolph Bracy launched an ugly attempt to oust her from the District 15 Senate seat.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
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With her buzz cut and Bikini Kill T-shirt, Brie Larson’s Elektra is presented as a rebel, a provocateur, and the kind of obsessively angry soul who might well carry her microphone around town in order to besmirch her mother and berate the world.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Capitalism is degrading us, killing us and befouling our world.—
Philip Kennicott,
Washington Post,
8 June 2023
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At a 2019 commencement address, Mr. Adams told a story about intimidating a neighbor whose dog was befouling his yard.—
Emma G. Fitzsimmons,
New York Times,
1 June 2023
Articles Related to sully
Cite this Entry
“Sully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sully. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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