sully
['sʌlɪ]
vt. 玷污, 弄脏

n. 污点, 脏污



sully
sullied
[ noun ]

1. United States painter (born in England) of portraits and historical scenes (1783-1872)

<noun.person>

2. French statesman (1560-1641)

<noun.person>

[ verb ]

1. place under suspicion or cast doubt upon

<verb.contact> cloud corrupt defile taint
sully someone's reputation

2. make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically

<verb.contact> defile maculate stain tarnish
The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air
Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man

3. charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

<verb.communication> asperse besmirch calumniate defame denigrate slander smear smirch
The journalists have defamed me!
The article in the paper sullied my reputation

Sully \Sul"ly\, v. i.
To become soiled or tarnished.

Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding.
--Bacon.


Sully \Sul"ly\, n.; pl. {Sullies}.
Soil; tarnish; stain.

A noble and triumphant merit breaks through little
spots and sullies in his reputation. --Spectator.


Sully \Sul"ly\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sullied}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Sullying}.] [OE. sulien, AS. sylian, fr. sol mire; akin to
G. suhle mire, sich, s["u]hlen to wallow, Sw. s["o]la to
bemire, Dan. s["o]le, Goth. bisaulijan to defile.]
To soil; to dirty; to spot; to tarnish; to stain; to darken;
-- used literally and figuratively; as, to sully a sword; to
sully a person's reputation.

Statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke.
--Roscommon.

No spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity.
--Atterbury.