verb
sully
SUH-lee
verb
1
To damage or spoil someone's reputation or something's purity.
"The scandal sullied the mayor's reputation for years."
"One bad review shouldn't sully an otherwise excellent record."
How to Use Sully
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo tarnish or damage something's good name or purity.
Common pairings
sully a reputation
sully someone's name
Word Forms
sullied past tense, sullies plural, sullies singular
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One bad review shouldn't _____ an otherwise excellent record.
Etymology
From Old English sylian, "to soil or defile," related to German sühlen and Swedish söla, both meaning "to sully."