Sully

Pronunciation: /sʌli/

Definitions of sully

verb to damage or tarnish the reputation or purity of something

Example Sentences

A1 I accidentally sullied my shirt with mud while playing outside.

A2 The gossip about her past did not sully her reputation in the community.

B1 The scandal sullied the company's image and led to a decrease in sales.

B2 He was determined not to let his mistakes sully his chances of success in the future.

C1 The journalist's unethical behavior sullied the reputation of the entire news organization.

C2 The political scandal threatened to sully the legacy of the respected leader.

Examples of sully in a Sentence

formal The reputation of the company was sullied by the scandal.

informal I don't want to sully our friendship by bringing up old arguments.

slang Don't sully my vibe with your negativity.

figurative The dark clouds sully the otherwise clear blue sky.

Grammatical Forms of sully

• past tense: sullied
• plural: sullies
• comparative: more sullied
• superlative: most sullied
• present tense: sullies
• future tense: will sully
• perfect tense: has sullied
• continuous tense: is sullying
• singular: sully
• positive degree: sully
• infinitive: to sully
• gerund: sullying
• participle: sullied

Origin and Evolution of sully

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English/Old French

Story behind the word: The word 'sully' originated from Middle English 'sulien' or 'sulen' which came from Old French 'souiller' meaning to soil or make dirty.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'sully' has evolved to not only mean to soil or make dirty, but also to tarnish or damage someone's reputation or character.