sully vs denigrate

sully and denigrate both are verbs.

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

As verbs, sully and denigrate are synonyms defined as:

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

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

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