Made something dirty, stained, or damaged in reputation; tarnished or made impure.
From Old French 'souillier' meaning to soil or make dirty, which came from Latin 'sub' (under) and 'limus' (mud). The literal meaning of making dirty evolved to include damaging reputation.
Poets love the word 'sullied' because it works on two levels—it's simultaneously about physical dirt and moral corruption. Shakespeare used 'sullied' to describe both mud on clothing and stains on the soul, which is why it feels more poetic than just saying 'dirty.'
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.