1. (v. t.) To soil; to dirty; to spot; to tarnish; to stain; to darken; as, to sully one's good reputation; -- used literally and figuratively; as, to sully a sword; to sully a person's reputation.
2. (v. i.) To become soiled or tarnished.
3. (n.) Soil; tarnish; stain.
Thesaurus Entries
abuse, attaint, bedaub, befoul, benasty, besmear, besmirch, besmutch, besoil, bespatter, betray, black, blacken, blemish, blot, blow upon, brand, call names, censure, contaminate, corrupt, daub, debauch, deceive, defame, defile, deflower, demoralize, denigrate, despoil, destroy, dirty, disapprove, discolor, disgrace, disparage, engage in personalities, expose, expose to infamy, force, foul, gibbet, hang in effigy, heap dirt upon, infect, lead astray, mar, mess, mess up, mislead, muckrake, nasty, pillory, pollute, rape, ravage, ravish, reprimand, revile, ruin, seduce, shame, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, spoil, spot, stain, stigmatize, taint, tar, tarnish, throw mud at, vilify, violate, vitiate, wreck
