Sully (redirected from sullying)

Sul·ly  (sl, s-l, sü-), Duc de. Title of Maximilien de Béthune. 1560-1641.

French politician. As chief minister to Henry IV, he replenished the treasury and encouraged agriculture and industry.

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Sul·ly  (sl), Thomas 1783-1872.

British-born American painter of portraits and historical scenes, such as Washington's Passage of the Delaware (c. 1818).

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sul·ly  (sl)

tr.v. sul·lied, sul·ly·ing, sul·lies

1. To mar the cleanness or luster of; soil or stain.

2. To defile; taint.

n. pl. sul·lies Archaic

Something that stains or spots.

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[Probably from French souiller, from Old French; see soil².]

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sully

Verb

[-lies, -lying, -lied]

1. to ruin (someone's reputation)

2. to spoil or make dirty: the stream had been sullied by the smelter's pollution [probably from French souiller to soil]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Sully - United States painter (born in England) of portraits and historical scenes (1783-1872) Thomas Sully
	2.	Sully - French statesman (1560-1641) Duc de Sully, Maxmilien de Bethune
Verb	1.	sully - place under suspicion or cast doubt upon; "sully someone's reputation" defile, taint, corrupt, cloud mar, deflower, impair, vitiate, spoil - make imperfect; "nothing marred her beauty"
	2.	sully - 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" maculate, tarnish, defile, stain blob, fleck, blot, spot - make a spot or mark onto; "The wine spotted the tablecloth" darken - tarnish or stain; "a scandal that darkened the family's good name"
	3.	sully - 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" asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, slander, smirch, denigrate, smear accuse, charge - blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; "he charged the director with indifference" assassinate - destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation; "He assassinated his enemy's character" libel - print slanderous statements against; "The newspaper was accused of libeling him" badmouth, drag through the mud, malign, traduce - speak unfavorably about; "She badmouths her husband everywhere"

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sully

verb 1. dishonour, ruin, disgrace, besmirch, smirch

verb 2. defile, dirty, stain, spot, spoil, contaminate, pollute, taint, tarnish, blemish, befoul