sully — to damage the purity or integrity of; defile
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to damage the purity or integrity of; defile
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈsʌli/
Example Sentences
- Don't let one bad grade sully your entire academic record!
- The chef was horrified when the waiter managed to sully the pristine wedding cake with ketchup.
- She refused to sully her hands with dishonest business practices.
sully
VERB[/ˈsʌli/]
to damage the purity or integrity of; defile
One careless splash of mud can sully the bride's pristine white gown.
SULL(soil) + Y(action) — stepping on the white carpet with heavy SULL(soil), the dog managed to completely sully the room.
Taking the weak boy's beautiful painting, the mean bully threw it in the puddle to completely sully it.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From 16th century French 'souiller' meaning 'to soil or make dirty,' which traces back to Latin 'suculare' meaning 'to wallow in mud.' The original image was of pigs rolling around in muddy filth.
Breakdown
From Latin root 'sucul-' (mud, filth) + '-are' (verb ending), evolved through French into modern English
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Don't let one bad grade sully your entire academic record!”
“The chef was horrified when the waiter managed to sully the pristine wedding cake with ketchup.”
“She refused to sully her hands with dishonest business practices.”
“My cat somehow managed to sully my freshly laundered white shirt within five minutes.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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