1
: done or produced with excessive effort
2
: pushed by antagonism near to open conflict
strained relations
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 consequences are often deeply personal: sleepless nights, strained relationships and a constant sense of unease about who’s watching.
—
Chad Angle, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
The Sea Lions should get deeper before the playoffs with the return of 6-8 senior forward Wynton Brown, who has missed most of the past two weeks with a strained elbow ligament.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
But this sequel to Beautiful Disaster (from the novels by Jamie McGuire) represents a bit of a monkey’s paw situation, as writer-director Roger Kumble goes overboard with the strained wackiness, which undermines the central romance.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2025
Javier Assad experienced some soreness while working out last week at the team’s Arizona facility, and a subsequent MRI revealed a strained oblique that will temporarily shut down the right-handed pitcher.
—Patrick Mooney, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strained
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Chad Angle, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
The Sea Lions should get deeper before the playoffs with the return of 6-8 senior forward Wynton Brown, who has missed most of the past two weeks with a strained elbow ligament.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
But this sequel to Beautiful Disaster (from the novels by Jamie McGuire) represents a bit of a monkey’s paw situation, as writer-director Roger Kumble goes overboard with the strained wackiness, which undermines the central romance.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2025
Javier Assad experienced some soreness while working out last week at the team’s Arizona facility, and a subsequent MRI revealed a strained oblique that will temporarily shut down the right-handed pitcher.
—Patrick Mooney, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strained
Cite this Entry
“Strained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strained. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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