strained

adjective

ˈstrānd 

1

: done or produced with excessive effort

2

: pushed by antagonism near to open conflict

strained relations

Synonyms

• affected
• artificial
• assumed
• bogus
• contrived
• factitious
• fake
• false
• feigned
• forced
• mechanical
• mock
• phony
• phoney
• plastic
• pretended
• pseudo
• put-on
• sham
• simulated
• spurious
• unnatural

Examples of strained in a Sentence

He made a strained attempt at being polite.

I took the complaint manager's strained smile to mean I wasn't a welcome sight.

Recent Examples on the Web

But inflation, housing shortages and strained services have fueled frustration at migrant and refugee populations in many European countries, and the unrest has manifested itself at the ballot box in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and several others. —Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024

Eminem often highlighted his strained relationship with his mother in his music early in his career. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024

Set in a fictional North Carolina town, One Tree Hill begins as a story about two half-brothers, Lucas (Murray) and Nathan (Lafferty), with a strained relationship forced to navigate high school together whose social circles eventually intersect. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Nov. 2024

Despite their closeness, the poster describes a strained relationship with Jenny's daughter, Ellie, who is 16. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

strained

adjective

ˈstrānd 

1

: not easy or natural : forced

a strained smile

2

: brought close to war

strained relations between countries