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 In a confessional interview later, Janelle expressed concern over her children's strained relationship with their father. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Related Articles Place the strained liquid in a clean pot. Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Executive pastry chef Alicia Wang and pastry chef Emma Scanlon fascinate with their zaatar (spices) and labneh (thick strained yogurt) croissants. Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Eventually, as Musk’s behavior became more erratic in the last few years, the relationship between the two became more strained. Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 That number came in higher by nearly $13 million than most projections, a splash of good news for teams with strained finances. Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 The distinctive characteristics the 6-foot-8 smooth swingman possess had the Hornets salivating over him, giving Miller the nod over Scoot Henderson, who missed Sunday’s game with a strained left adductor, shelving any possibility the two would get matched up on each other. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2024 However, the program will include just 10 drugs to start with, leaving many others out of reach for financially strained populations like those in Puerto Rico. Mariela Torres Cintrón, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024 But school district leaders still predict a strained budget because of a confluence of factors: higher teacher salaries, rising costs due to inflation and the need to use local revenue to cover expenses that were previously funded by one-time federal pandemic aid. Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strained.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of strained was circa 1542

Dictionary Entries Near strained

Cite this Entry

“Strained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strained. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

strained

adjective
1
: not easy or natural : forced
a strained smile
2
: brought close to war
strained relations between countries

More from Merriam-Webster on strained

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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