Verb
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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Verb
Suddenly, trustees needed to concern themselves with not only the size of a donor’s check but also whether the signature on it would end up sullying the institution’s name.
Enter a new class of due-diligence companies.—Mary Holland, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2024 As Justin seeks a way to clear James’ name without sullying his own, each participant in the trial is forced to find their own definition of doing the right thing.—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024 The charge, stemming from a gun being found on his tour bus in 2007, had previously sullied his perception of New York.—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2025 With Taylor sullied publicly and a leadership void atop the department, Luck became the face of Stanford athletics and the sole possessor of the authority necessary to salvage the football program.—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sully
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English *sullien, probably alteration (influenced by Anglo-French suillier, soiller to soil) of sulen to soil, from Old English sylian
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