as in unnatural
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
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3
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline
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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
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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
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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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of strained
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 1 Nov. 2024
Watch on Deadline In 2008, Ciccone released his memoir Life with My Sister Madonna, detailing how their relationship became strained over the years.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2024
Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024
In Brockton, Massachusetts, immigrants from a variety of countries, including Haiti, Cape Verde and countries in Central and South America, have strained local resources — though mostly in the form of emergency shelter capacity.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strained 
Adjective
The case received national attention, with the couple's strained relationship being brought to the forefront.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 1 Nov. 2024
Watch on Deadline In 2008, Ciccone released his memoir Life with My Sister Madonna, detailing how their relationship became strained over the years.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2024
Verb
The exhibition lays claim to the body as the superintending conceit of Warhol’s corpus—an argument often strained by inclusions here of the Hammer & Sickle (1976) works or allusions to the film Sleep (1964).
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024
In Brockton, Massachusetts, immigrants from a variety of countries, including Haiti, Cape Verde and countries in Central and South America, have strained local resources — though mostly in the form of emergency shelter capacity.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strained
Adjective
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The video appeared to have been substantially manipulated, with unnatural facial expressions and a robotic voice, according to a CNN analysis using deepfake detector tools.Michael Conte, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
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Just make sure to only use mold-free pumpkins that haven’t been treated with paint or other unnatural products.Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Michigan’s largest distributor of housing vouchers hasn't pulled a name off its general waitlist in nearly a year.Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 4 Oct. 2024
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Brady and a few stringers quickly pulled together what Brady named Page Six because that’s the page where the column initially ran.Susan Mulcahy, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The rule first tightened the emissions standards for non-mercury metals.Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
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In the early 2000s, the Bush administration tightened its commitment to defend Taiwan against an invasion by Communist China and enhance Taipei’s sense of security.Charles Walldorf, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Our team spent four months building a minute-by-minute playbook, conducting two full-scale mock cutovers and stress-testing every critical system.Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Experience mock classes led by prominent professors, explore diverse legal career paths, and receive personalized admissions guidance.Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Season 2 has struggled to retain Season 1’s large base, Katie noted, with Samba TV data showing Season 2’s first ep drew half that of Season 1’s opener, which, to be fair, remains the streamer’s largest premiere to date.Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
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But Minnesota has struggled, for the most part, to turn pressure into sacks this season.Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The Bears didn’t well in any phase against the Orange, but Mendoza, who suffered first-half interceptions on consecutive pass attempts to set up 10 points by the Orange, tried to shoulder much of the blame.Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
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The Pelicans killed Denver on the glass, regardless of what lineups Adelman tried.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Next to De León was a statue of the church’s namesake, Our Lady of Sorrows, hands clasped and face frozen in misery.Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2024
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When the town hall ended, Harris went over and clasped hands with Castillo, whose face was still streaked with tears.Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The Democratic-leaning Latino groups pushed back on that narrative, citing their own polling.Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
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Birds who pushed the door to the right were transferred into aviaries where the resident birds were pushing the door on the left and vice versa.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near strained
Cite this Entry
“Strained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strained. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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