1
: done or produced with excessive effort
2
: pushed by antagonism near to open conflict
strained relations
Synonyms
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
Leighton Meester and Luke Cook star as sibling detectives who don’t always see eye-to-eye, working together to solve crimes – and the strained relationship with their police chief father (Clancy Brown).
—
Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
In the memoir, which came out on Nov. 19, White provided some insight about the strained relationship.
—Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 20 Nov. 2024
The lifelong New Yorker explained his decision to pack up for Florida in a 2019 post on the social platform X, citing taxes and his strained relationships with state and local leaders.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
In addition, there will need to be some serious operational improvements to remedy the company’s strained relationship with many current and former customers.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strained 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
In the memoir, which came out on Nov. 19, White provided some insight about the strained relationship.
—Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 20 Nov. 2024
The lifelong New Yorker explained his decision to pack up for Florida in a 2019 post on the social platform X, citing taxes and his strained relationships with state and local leaders.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
In addition, there will need to be some serious operational improvements to remedy the company’s strained relationship with many current and former customers.
—Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strained
Dictionary Entries Near strained
Cite this Entry
“Strained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strained. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share