SUL'LY, verb transitive 1. To soil; to dirt; to spot; to tarnish. And statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke. 2. To tarnish; to darken. Let there be no spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity. 3. To stain; to tarnish; as the purity of reputation; as virtues sullied by slanders; character sullied by infamous vices. SUL'LY, verb intransitive To be soiled or tarnished. Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding. SUL'LY, noun Soil, tarnish; spot. A noble and triumphant merit breaks through little spots and sullies on his reputation.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI