strained
/stɹeɪ̯nd/ adjective C1- Forced through a strainer. · Babies don’t seem to like strained peas, even though the puree is easy for them to eat and digest.
- Under tension; tense. · Ever since the fight our relationship has been strained.
- Not natural or spontaneous but done with effort · A strained smile.
From the library
Relations were strained after that, and further inquiries out of the question.
We all sat in silence for some minutes while those fateful eyes still strained to pierce the veil.
The garden was bounded by a three-foot brick wall with a fringe of wood rails upon the top, and against this wall was leaning a stalwart police constable, surrounded by a small knot of loafers, who craned their necks and strained their eyes in the vain hope of catching some glimpse of the proceedings within.
My friend was standing with an expression of strained intensity upon his face, staring at the railway metals where they curved out of the tunnel.
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