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strained

/stɹeɪ̯nd/adjective1 syllable

Strained means: lacking spontaneity; not natural.

Synonyms for strained9

adjective, as in lacking spontaneity; not natural

constrained, forced, affected, unnatural

adjective, as in lacking natural ease

labored, laboured, awkward

adjective, as in struggling for effect

agonistic, affected, unnatural

adjective, as in showing signs of mental and emotional tension

tense

What does strained mean?4

adjective

1

lacking spontaneity; not natural“a constrained smile”

2

lacking natural ease“a labored style of debating”

3

struggling for effect“agonistic poses”

4

showing signs of mental and emotional tension“her voice was strained as she asked the question”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with strained?27

three syllables

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Show 40 near rhymes
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Strained in a sentence

  • Their friendship has seen better days, strained by misunderstandings.LoverofEnglish
  • Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.sugisaki
  • Well, he certainly must have strained himself to get this menagerie together.shekitten
  • He strained every nerve to see in the darkness.unknown
  • He strained his eyes by reading too much.Eldad
  • Relations between the two countries have been strained to breaking point.sundown
  • Their marriage has been strained lately because of financial problems.darinmex
  • His voice was strained from singing along at the concert.arnxy20

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.