The difference between Defile and Sully

When used as nouns, defile means a narrow way or passage, e.g. between mountains, whereas sully means a blemish.

When used as verbs, defile means to make unclean, dirty, or impure, whereas sully means to soil or stain.


check bellow for the other definitions of Defile and Sully

  1. Defile as a verb (transitive):

    To make unclean, dirty, or impure; soil; befoul.

  2. Defile as a verb (transitive):

    To vandalize or add inappropriate contents to something considered sacred or special; desecrate

    Examples:

    "To urinate on someone's grave is an example of a way to defile it."

  3. Defile as a verb (transitive):

    To deprive or ruin someone's (sexual) purity or chastity, often not consensually; stain; tarnish; mar; rape

    Examples:

    "The serial rapist kidnapped and defiled a six-year-old girl."

  1. Defile as a noun:

    A narrow way or passage, e.g. between mountains

  2. Defile as a noun:

    A single file, such as of soldiers.

  3. Defile as a noun:

    The act of defilading a fortress, or of raising the exterior works in order to protect the interior.

  1. Defile as a verb (archaic, intransitive):

    To march in a single file.

  1. Sully as a verb (transitive):

    To soil or stain; to dirty.

    Examples:

    "synonyms sowq1=obsolete"

    "He did not wish to sully his hands with gardening."

  2. Sully as a verb (transitive):

    To corrupt or damage.

    Examples:

    "She tried to sully her rival’s reputation with a suggestive comment."

  3. Sully as a verb (intransitive):

    To become soiled or tarnished.

  1. Sully as a noun (rare, obsolete):

    A blemish.