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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of sully
Nothing in life is ever just better or worse, purer or more sullied.
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Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Here, his white knight’s armor is sullied before his face is scarred, and how that fits this version of Gotham City makes for a fitting rallying cry all its own.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Aug. 2024
Oh the incorruptible queen sullies herself with a lover.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024
When given the chance to restore their minds to their original bodies, Stark in Doom’s body refuses, saying he’s made the name Doom mean something good, while the name Stark has been sullied.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sully 
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Here, his white knight’s armor is sullied before his face is scarred, and how that fits this version of Gotham City makes for a fitting rallying cry all its own.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Aug. 2024
Oh the incorruptible queen sullies herself with a lover.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024
When given the chance to restore their minds to their original bodies, Stark in Doom’s body refuses, saying he’s made the name Doom mean something good, while the name Stark has been sullied.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sully
Verb
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In conducting the study, the team also developed a new technique to stain collagen fibers to analyze their impact on the skin’s mechanics.Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
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This particular query came (stop it) during a recent interview with Variety where Daniel Craig asked if a shot of sheets stained with semen was kept in the final cut’s establishing scene.David Opie, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But the task has been performed so many times that dust and metal from the robot’s fingers have blackened the edges.James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
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The fire burned for 64 days, blackening 429,603 acres in Butte and Tehama counties and destroying 709 homes and other structures.Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Instead, Walz seems to have little to say about factory farming dirtying the state’s waterways.Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2024
Verb
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There’s a new promo picture going around showing a Dusty Milligan with facial hair (see: above) — and listen, not to besmirch his infinity-pool jawline, but the dude looks so much better with that scruff.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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The Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni group, had been calling for an end or change to the tour program, insisting that volunteers had been wrongly besmirching the legacy of UVA's founder.David K. Li, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2024
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
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Cite this Entry
“Sully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sully. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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