How to pronounce sully
American English pronunciation
SUL-ee
- IPA
- /ˈsʌli/
- Syllables
- SUL · ee (2 syllables, stress on the 1st)
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What sully means
To stain or dirty something, especially a good name
In a sentence: He would never sully his team's good name by cheating.
Where it comes from: It comes from the Old English sylian, meaning to make dirty. It was perhaps partly mixed up with an old French word that also gave us soil.
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Compare: sully and mar
Mar spoils how something looks; sully dirties or stains, especially a good name.
See also: mar
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