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

The breakthrough, published this week in Materials Today, centers on a nanometer-thin, compressively strained germanium layer grown on a silicon wafer. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025

Amazon has been rightly criticized at times for the menial, repetitive, and sometimes dangerous work in its warehouses over the years, as well as for a strained and stressful culture among customer service representatives and others in its offices around the world. —Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

See video … Tune in to the FOX NEWS RUNDOWN PODCAST for a look at record-breaking travel and whether America’s strained airports can keep holiday plans on schedule. —FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Place the oysters in the shells and distribute the strained liquid among them. —Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2025

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