strained

1. 1
   adjective

   Under tension or stress; tight and lacking ease.

   Relations between the two countries grew increasingly strained over trade.

   His voice sounded strained as he tried to keep his composure.

   Similartense, fraught, uneasy, taut, tight

   Oppositerelaxed, easy, calm, cordial

2. 2
   adjective

   Produced with visible effort rather than naturally or spontaneously.

   The conversation felt strained, as if both of them were choosing every word.

   She offered a strained politeness that fooled no one.

   Similarforced, stilted, awkward, artificial, unnatural

   Oppositenatural, spontaneous, relaxed, effortless

   Note

   Here the effort shows on the surface: a strained smile or strained laughter is a performance that fails to look natural. It is easily confused with the "tense" meaning, which describes pressure in a situation or a relationship. This sense describes behavior that is forced. A strained conversation can be both at once: tense underneath and labored on top.

3. 3
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of strain.

   The cook strained the broth through a fine mesh before serving.

   Years of heavy lifting had strained his shoulders.

   Note

   A regular -ed form with a wide reach, because the verb behind it covers stretching, injuring and overreaching. You can have strained a muscle, strained your ears to hear, or strained a meaning past what it will bear. The spelling is shared with the adjectives, and a quick test tells them apart. If very or more fits (a more strained silence), it is the adjective. If a doer fits (strained by the cook), it is the verb.

4. 4
   adjective

   Having been passed through a strainer so that solids are removed.

   The chef finished the dish with a spoonful of strained tomatoes.

   Pour the strained stock back into the pot and reduce it.

   Similarsieved, filtered, drained, clarified

   Oppositeunfiltered, chunky

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