denigrate vs sully

denigrate and sully both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
denigrate	No	No	Yes	No
sully	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, denigrate and sully are synonyms defined as:

denigrate and sully: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Other synonyms of denigrate include asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, slander, smear, smirch.

denigrate (verb)	sully (verb)
cause to seem less serious; play down	charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone	make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
	place under suspicion or cast doubt upon