1
: done or produced with excessive effort
a strained smile
2
: pushed by antagonism near to open conflict
strained relations
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
In a rare public tirade against a member of their ranks, leaders insisted that Orbán must respect the 27-nation bloc's decision in December to fund Ukraine's armed forces and strained economy for the next two years.
—
Lorne Cook, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026
Quentin Grimes scored 27 points as the 76ers ended a five-game road losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last six games playing without their two biggest stars — Joel Embiid (strained right oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
This designation introduces an additional layer of operational pressure to what is already an unusually strained deployment.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
As of late, the airport has been plagued by air traffic controller shortages, leading to strained operations and major delays.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strained
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Lorne Cook, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026
Quentin Grimes scored 27 points as the 76ers ended a five-game road losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last six games playing without their two biggest stars — Joel Embiid (strained right oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
This designation introduces an additional layer of operational pressure to what is already an unusually strained deployment.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
As of late, the airport has been plagued by air traffic controller shortages, leading to strained operations and major delays.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strained
Cite this Entry
“Strained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strained. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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