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Adulterate vs Sully - What's the difference?

adulterate | sully |

As verbs the difference between adulterate and sully

is that adulterate is to corrupt while sully is to soil or stain; to dirty.

As an adjective adulterate

is tending to commit adultery.

adulterate

English

(wikipedia adulterate)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Tending to commit adultery.
  • * , I.v.
    • Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
    With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts-
    O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power
    So to seduce!- won to his shameful lust
    The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen.
  • Corrupted; impure; adulterated.

    • Verb

    (adulterat)
  • To corrupt.
  • To spoil by adding impurities.
    • to adulterate food, drink, drugs, coins, etc.
  • * Spectator
    • The present war has adulterated our tongue with strange words.
  • To commit adultery.
  • To defile by adultery.
    • (Milton)

    Synonyms

    * debase

    Derived terms

    * adulterant * adulteration

    References

    * ----

    sully

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Verb

  • to soil or stain; to dirty
    • He did not wish to sully his hands with gardening.
  • * Roscommon
    • statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke
  • to damage or corrupt
    • He did not wish to sully his reputation with an ill-mannered comment.
  • * Atterbury
    • no spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity
  • To become soiled or tarnished.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding.