strained

1. 1
   adjective

   Pulled tight, or full of stress and tension.

   Like a rope stretched so tight it might snap.

   Their friendship had become strained after the argument.

   A strained silence filled the room while everyone waited.

   Similartense, fraught, uneasy, taut, tight

   Oppositerelaxed, easy, calm, cordial

2. 2
   adjective

   Done with effort, not coming naturally or easily.

   Like forcing a laugh when nothing is funny.

   Her strained smile showed she was uncomfortable.

   He gave a strained laugh and quickly changed the subject.

   Similarforced, stilted, awkward, artificial, unnatural

   Oppositenatural, spontaneous, relaxed, effortless

   Note
3. 3
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of strain. Use it for stretching, filtering, or injuring that already happened.

   She strained the soup to take out the seeds.

   He strained his knee while running yesterday.

   Note
4. 4
   adjective

   Poured or pushed through a strainer so the solid bits are removed.

   Like juice with no bits left after you pour it through a sieve.

   She fed the baby some strained carrots at lunch.

   The recipe uses strained yogurt to make the sauce thick.

   Similarsieved, filtered, drained, clarified

   Oppositeunfiltered, chunky

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