sul·ly /ˈsʌli/ verb (sullied, sullying, sullies) [transitiveT] formal or literary
SPOILto spoil or reduce the value of something that was perfect 弄脏,玷污,破坏
a scandal that sullied his reputation
玷污了他名誉的丑闻
Examples from the Corpus
sully• They stood for progress, a notion already being sullied by contempt for the military-industrial complex.• Is it too pure to be sullied by the messiness of domestic life?• And when his human dignity was gone, his innocencesullied, he felt something sharpplunge into his chest.• And I must take care not to sully it, is that it?• Instead, the general manager has sullied the whole outfit.• Oilspills have sullied thousands of acres.
Originsully
(1500-1600) Probably from Old Frenchsoiller; → SOIL2