Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically. Synonyms:defile, stain, sully, tarnish."Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man"
... twitching commenced in a muscle at the flange of his nose. Woolfolk was aware of an increasing tension in the other, that gained a peculiar oppressiveness from the lack of any corresponding outward expression. His heavy, blunt hand fumbled under the maculate apron; his chest heaved with a sudden, tempestuous breathing. "Don't start me," he repeated in a voice so blurred that the words were hardly recognizable. He swallowed convulsively, his emotion mounting to an inchoate ... — Wild Oranges • Joseph Hergesheimer
... Pennsylvania once said in a speech: "Some men pursue military glory, and spend their time and energies in the subjugation of nations. Caesar and Napoleon may be named as types of this character. But the tears and blood which follow violence and wrong maculate the pages of history on which their glory is recorded. Others erect splendid palaces for kingly residences, and costly temples and edifices for the promotion of education and religion in accordance with their particular ... — Hidden Treasures - Why Some Succeed While Others Fail • Harry A. Lewis
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