strained

adjective

ˈstrānd 

1

: done or produced with excessive effort

a strained smile

2

: pushed by antagonism near to open conflict

strained relations

Synonyms of strained

• mock
• unnatural
• affected
• exaggerated
• false
• forced
• artificial
• contrived
• fake
• simulated
• mechanical
• assumed
• pseudo

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

Trout, who missed 17 games due to a strained right hamstring, hit a 438-foot shot that gave the Angels an 11-0 lead in the eighth. — Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Although the trio, seated in a movie theater, chuckle at seeing footage of their early days and remember good times with Hinds, the majority of the clip shows the three of them making sense of what seems like a strained relationship. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2026

Trout, reinstated just in time for the All-Star Game next week in his beloved Philadelphia, missed 17 games with a strained right hamstring suffered while running the bases in a game on June 17. — ABC News, 8 July 2026

After years of strained public services, supply and food shortages and poverty, nearly 8 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance before the earthquakes hit. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for strained

• abstained
• arraigned
• attained
• bloodstained
• campaigned
• complained
• constrained
• contained
• curtained
• detained
• disdained
• distrained

Kids Definition

strained

adjective

ˈstrānd 

1

: not easy or natural : forced

a strained smile

2

: brought close to war

strained relations between countries