sully

noun

French statesman (1560-1641)

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

verb

charge falsely or with malicious intent

make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air

place under suspicion or cast doubt upon

Roots

souillersully- · Old French · to soil, defile

Synonyms for sully

besmirchv smirchn tarnishv taintn defilev denigratev smearn defamev stainn befoulv besmearv bedaubv smutchv contaminatev pollutev

Synonyms & related words for sully

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of sully — including besmirch, smirch, tarnish, taint, defile, denigrate. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to sully

Explore words related to sully — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include besmirchment, maculate, asperse, unsmirched, calumniate, nontarnishable, tarnishable, inquinate. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for sully

Common synonyms for sully include besmirch, smirch, tarnish, taint, defile, denigrate, smear, defame — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does sully come from?

The word sully breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root sully, from Old French souiller (“to soil, defile”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.