as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
I took the complaint manager's strained smile to mean I wasn't a welcome sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulled
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 & Similar Words
2
as in filtered
to pass through a filter
better strain that coffee thoroughly to get all the grounds out
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dripped
to flow forth slowly through small openings
put the cooked fruit in a cheesecloth bag and let the juice strain into a pan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in stretched
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
strained her memory but the name just wouldn't come to her
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
7
as in hugged
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the woman tenderly strained to her breast the child that she had long ago given up for dead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of strained
Faye Levy, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
The dullest focuses on Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz, who puncture the movie with some sharp line reads but are largely wasted in thankless roles as Mark and Janet, two teachers in a strained romantic relationship.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026
Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The restaurant weathered the blows of COVID-19, but the relationship between Valente and his partners was strained.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strained
Adjective
Just add tahini sauce, roasted peppers from a jar, and labneh — strained yogurt that is almost as thick as cheese.
—Faye Levy, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
The dullest focuses on Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz, who puncture the movie with some sharp line reads but are largely wasted in thankless roles as Mark and Janet, two teachers in a strained romantic relationship.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
The link was suspended in 2021 as relations between Moscow and Washington grew increasingly strained before Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
—Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The restaurant weathered the blows of COVID-19, but the relationship between Valente and his partners was strained.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strained
Adjective
-
Pharmacy technician students practice compounding mock medications such as lip balms and creams.—
Wilborn P. Nobles III,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The oversized mock-neck sweater tucks chicly into the pencil-leg pants, primed for rolling at the hems and styling with chunky sneakers for long travel days.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.—
Bradford Betz , Matt Finn,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Wills pulled together a men’s fashion show with local and national celebrities, followed by dinner, dancing and a movie.—
Mark Woolsey,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Coherence collapses when reality gets filtered on its way up.—
Amy Eliza Wong,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
-
If any part of that is uncertain — weak GPS data, offshore photos, older images — the result gets filtered out.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When the novel opens in Florence, in 1557, the body of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo lies in the chapel of San Lorenzo—in front of the frescoes he’d labored over for a decade, with a painter’s chisel stuck in his heart.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That included expert testimony that blood stains on Ryan's hands suggested Christine Banfield's blood had been dripped onto him from above.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Johansson super-sized the radiance with her accessories, showing off a pair of dainty silver dangling earrings that dripped with pearls and diamonds.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Kravitz was originally trained as a K–6 educator in Boone, North Carolina, yet her ambitions stretched beyond the classroom.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
-
As negotiations stretched on, the district announced that schools would be closed on Monday, prompting families to scramble for childcare and alternative plans.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Villa had taken the lead in the first half through Morgan but toiled in the second, unable to play as incisively after Andoni Iraola tightened his midfield.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
However, Zelenskyy, backed by European leaders and some members of Congress, has insisted that the sanctions regime against Russia must instead be tightened to starve the Russian war machine of revenue and Western technological components.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hudson turned heads at the The Beverly Hilton red carpet in her off-the-shoulder Erdem silk gown, which hugged her body through the knee and featured an unexpected distressed accent with a raw seam on her neckline and visible stitching on the frayed hem.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Bowe hugged her coaches before disappearing off the ice.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strained. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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