strained

About 4.53 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. adjective Forced through a strainer.

   Babies don’t seem to like strained peas, even though the puree is easy for them to eat and digest.

2. adjective Under tension; tense.

   Ever since the fight our relationship has been strained.

3. adjective Not natural or spontaneous but done with effort

   A strained smile.

4. verb simple past and past participle of strain

Similar words

laboured labored constrained forced awkward affected agonistic tense unnatural intense

Often followed by

to and relations the by his in through at