brighten vs sully

brighten

verb
  • To grow bright, or more bright in color; to clear up 

  • To make illustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or splendor to 

  • To make more cheerful and pleasant; to enliven 

  • To make bright or brighter in color. 

  • To become brighter or more cheerful in mood 

sully

verb
  • To soil or stain; to dirty. 

  • To corrupt or damage. 

  • To become soiled or tarnished. 

How often have the words brighten and sully occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )