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- DictionarySul·ly/ˈsəlē/
verb
- 1. damage the purity or integrity of; defile: literary "they were outraged that anyone should sully their good name"
What does the verb sully mean? There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb sully, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. Entry status. OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
What does the noun sully mean? There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun sully. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is now obsolete. It is last recorded around the mid 1700s. Entry status. OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions.
Oct 4, 2023 · sully (v.) "to soil, stain, tarnish, defile," 1570s (implied in sullied ), probably from French souiller "to soil," also figurative, of moral defilement, from Old French soillier "make dirty" (see soil (v.)). It probably was influenced by or conflated with Middle English sulen "become dirty," from Old English sylian "defile, bemire."
Discover More. Example Sentences. SPCA International has arranged foster care for Sully and Peggy, while efforts continue to reunite them with Weldon and Kurulgan. From Time. Weldon worries that Sully, who he raised from a ball of fur that could barely stand to a healthy dog prancing around his Marine base, might forget him. From Time.
1. : menacing or threatening in appearance. surly weather. 2. obsolete : arrogant, imperious. 3. : irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner : crabbed. surlily. ˈsər-lə-lē. adverb. surliness. ˈsər-lē-nəs. noun. surly adverb. Did you know? In its very earliest uses in the 16th century, surly meant "majestic" or "lordly."
sully. verb [ T ] formal uk / ˈsʌl.i / us / ˈsʌl.i / to spoil something that is pure or someone's perfect reputation: His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos. to make something dirty: No speck of dirt had ever sullied his hands. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Damaging reputation.
: to cause harm or damage to the purity, luster, or beauty of (something) : sully, soil. besmirching her reputation. High ideals were besmirched by cruelty and greed … R. A. Newhall. Although the accusations against Normand were unsupported, her name was besmirched. John Lahr.
