Thesaurus

strained

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of strained

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

I took the complaint managerʼs strained smile to mean I wasnʼt a welcome sight

Synonyms of strained

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

Words Related to strained

automatic, canned, concocted, fabricated, hokey, labored, manufactured, pat, unauthentic, unreal, unrealistic

double-dealing, empty, facile, hollow, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, two-faced, unctuous

exaggerated, histrionic, melodramatic, overacted, overdone, theatrical (also theatric)

cute, cutesy, genteel, goody-goody, mincing, overrefined, simpering

conventional, formal, impersonal, inflexible, rigid, stiff, stylized, wooden

artful, calculated, conscious, cultivated, deliberate, premeditated, studied

Near Antonyms of strained

authentic, bona fide, real, realistic, right, true

honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending

easy, effortless, smooth

extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied

Antonyms of strained

artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced

Learn More about strained

See words that rhyme with strained Dictionary: Definition of strained Spanish Central: Translation of strained Nglish: Translation of strained for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of strained for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up strained? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments

WORD OF THE DAY

bower

a shady place in a garden or forest

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games