What does “sully” mean?
sully
Oh, that's a good one —
"Sully" means to damage something, especially a reputation or something pure and clean. Like, you sully something good by doing something bad to it.
So imagine a famous athlete gets caught cheating — you could say, "The scandal sullied his reputation." Or if someone lies about a really honest person, a friend might say, "Don't let them sully your good name like that!"
It can also be a little more literal — like making something physically dirty or stained — but honestly, people use it way more in the "damage someone's image or honor" sense.
It's a slightly formal word, so you won't hear it in casual chat too often, but it sounds really natural in writing or when someone's being a little dramatic 😄
Basically: to sully something = to ruin or stain it, especially its purity or good image.
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