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strain

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of strain

1 the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
  • descended from a strain of Irish seafarers
Synonyms of strain

ancestry, birth, blood, bloodline, breeding, descent, extraction, family tree, genealogy, line, lineage, origin, parentage, pedigree, stock
Words Related to strain

heredity, succession

family, house

kin, kindred, relations, relatives

race
Near Antonyms of strain

offspring

child, heir, inheritor, son, successor
Antonyms of strain

issue, posterity, progeny, seed
2 a rhythmic series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect
  • the strain of an old Irish ballad rose up from the revelers downstairs
Synonyms of strain

air, lay, melody, song, tune, warble
Words Related to strain

descant (also discant)

cadence, measure, meter, rhythm

ballad, ditty, hymn, lyric, madrigal
3 a very small amount
  • detected a strain of panic in her voice when she asked if the substance was poisonous
Synonyms of strain

ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen (also smidgeon), snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace
Words Related to strain

hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit

atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap

dash, drop, pinch

part, portion, section

bite, nibble, taste

handful, scattering, smatter, smattering

dose, shot

chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter

shred, tatter

clipping, paring, shaving
Phrases Synonymous with strain

drop in the bucket
Near Antonyms of strain

abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (also lashins) [chiefly British], loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth

volume

bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus

chunk, hunk, lump, slab
4 a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common
  • writes mystery novels of a more sophisticated strain
Synonyms of strain

breed, class, description, feather, genre, ilk, kidney, kind, like, manner, nature, order, sort, species, stripe, type, variety
Words Related to strain

model

sample, specimen

bracket, bunch, category, division, family, grade, group, grouping, lot, persuasion, rank(s), set, suite
2

strain

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of strain

the burden on oneʼs emotional or mental well-being created by demands on oneʼs time
  • the familyʼs constant moving is putting a real strain on the children
Synonyms of strain

pressure, stress, tension
Words Related to strain

load, weight

anxiety, concern, uneasiness, worry

aggravation, anger, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, persecution, trouble
Near Antonyms of strain

comfort, consolation

strain

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of strain

1 to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
  • in order to lift something heavy, squat down and lift with your legs, or you'll strain your back
Synonyms of strain

pull, rack, stretch, wrench
Words Related to strain

fray, tax, weaken

damage, harm, hurt, impair, wound

batter, bruise, tear

cripple, lame, mangle, mutilate
2 to pass through a filter
  • better strain that coffee thoroughly to get all the grounds out
Synonyms of strain

filter, screen
Words Related to strain

leach, percolate
3 to devote serious and sustained effort
  • the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline
Synonyms of strain

bang away, beaver (away), dig (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work
Words Related to strain

apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in

attack, drive

essay, try

exercise, exert, overexert, overwork

eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch

trudge, wade
Phrases Synonymous with strain

sweat blood
Near Antonyms of strain

break, ease (up), let up, slacken

bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out

bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind

dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about [British], mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle
4 to flow forth slowly through small openings
  • put the cooked fruit in a cheesecloth bag and let the juice strain into a pan
Synonyms of strain

bleed, exude, ooze, percolate, seep, sweat, transude, weep
Words Related to strain

dribble, drip, trickle

discharge, emit, give off, vent

emanate, flow, spring
Near Antonyms of strain

flood, gush, pour, stream, surge
5 to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
  • strained her memory but the name just wouldnʼt come to her
Synonyms of strain

stretch, tax, test, try
Words Related to strain

demand, exact, importune, press, pressure, push

aggravate, agitate, annoy, bother, exasperate, gall, get (to), gnaw (at), grate, harass, harry, hassle, irk, irritate, nettle, pain, peeve, pester, rile, spite, vex
6 to draw tight
  • the dog strained its leash trying to get to the cat
Synonyms of strain

stretch, tauten, tense, tighten
Words Related to strain

elongate, extend, lengthen

cinch, constrict
Near Antonyms of strain

ease, relax
Antonyms of strain

loosen, slack, slacken
7 to put oneʼs arms around and press tightly
  • the woman tenderly strained to her breast the child that she had long ago given up for dead
Synonyms of strain

bear-hug, clasp, crush, embrace, enclasp, enfold, grasp, hug
Words Related to strain

clamp, cling, cradle, grab, grip, hold

bosom, embosom, encircle, entwine, envelop, enwind

fold, lock, twine, wrap

cuddle, fondle, nestle, nuzzle, pat, pet, snuggle, stroke

Learn More about strain

  1. See words that rhyme with strain Dictionary: Definition of strain Medical Dictionary: Definition of strain Spanish Central: Translation of strain Nglish: Translation of strain for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of strain for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about strain

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