Word Study
sullenness |
sullevate |
sulliage |
sullied |
sullivan |
sully
| sulpha
| sulphacid
| sulphamate
| sulphamic
| sulphamide
HYPHEN
WORDNET DICTIONARY
CIDE DICTIONARY
OXFORD DICTIONARY
THESAURUS
ROGET THESAURUS
sully
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun sully has 2 senses
- sully(n = noun.person) thomas sully - United States painter (born in England) of portraits and historical scenes (1783-1872); Array is a kind of painter
- sully(n = noun.person) duc de sully, maxmilien de bethune - French statesman (1560-1641); Array is a kind of national leader, solon, statesman
Verb sully has 3 senses
- sully(v = verb.contact) cloud, corrupt, defile, taint - place under suspicion or cast doubt upon; "sully someone's reputation" is one way to deflower, impair, mar, spoil, vitiate
- sully(v = verb.contact) defile, maculate, stain, tarnish - make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man" is one way to blob, blot, fleck, spot
- sully(v = verb.communication) asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smear, smirch - charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!"; "The article in the paper sullied my reputation" is one way to accuse, charge
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Sample sentences:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
CIDE DICTIONARY
sully, v. t. [OE. sulien, AS. sylian, fr. sol mire; akin to G. suhle mire, sich, sÜhlen to wallow, Sw. söla to bemire, Dan. söle, Goth. bisaulijan to defile.].
To soil; to dirty; to spot; to tarnish; to stain; to darken; -- used literally and figuratively; as, to sully a sword; to sully a person's reputation. [1913 Webster]
"Statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke."
[1913 Webster]
"No spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity."
[1913 Webster]
sully, v. i.
To become soiled or tarnished. [1913 Webster]
"Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding."
[1913 Webster]
sully, n.
Soil; tarnish; stain. [1913 Webster]
"A noble and triumphant merit breaks through little spots and sullies in his reputation."
[1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
sully, v.tr. (-ies, -ied)
1 disgrace or tarnish (a person's reputation or character, a victory, etc.).
2 poet. dirty; soil.
1 disgrace or tarnish (a person's reputation or character, a victory, etc.).
2 poet. dirty; soil.
Etymology
perh. f. F souiller (as SOIL(2))
THESAURUS
sully
abuse, attaint, bedaub, befoul, benasty, besmear, besmirch, besmutch, besoil, bespatter, betray, black, blacken, blemish, blot, blow upon, brand, call names, censure, contaminate, corrupt, daub, debauch, deceive, defame, defile, deflower, demoralize, denigrate, despoil, destroy, dirty, disapprove, discolor, disgrace, disparage, engage in personalities, expose, expose to infamy, force, foul, gibbet, hang in effigy, heap dirt upon, infect, lead astray, mar, mess, mess up, mislead, muckrake, nasty, pillory, pollute, rape, ravage, ravish, reprimand, revile, ruin, seduce, shame, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, spoil, spot, stain, stigmatize, taint, tar, tarnish, throw mud at, vilify, violate, vitiate, wreckROGET THESAURUS
sully
Uncleanness
VB be unclean, become unclean, rot, putrefy, ferment, fester, rankle, reek, stink, mold, molder, go bad, render unclean, dirt, dirty, daub, blot, blur, smudge, smutch, soil, smoke, tarnish, slaver, spot, smear, smirch, begrease, dabble, drabble, draggle, daggle, spatter, slubber, besmear, bemire, beslime, begrime, befoul, splash, stain, distain, maculate, sully, pollute, defile, debase, contaminate, taint, leaven, corrupt, cover with dust, drabble in the mud, roil, wallow in the mire, slobber, slabber.
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