strainedadj.
/streɪnd/ 1. Subjected to physical tension. Of a rope, etc.: stretched tight.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > [adjective] > increasing in length > drawing out forcibly or tightly > drawn out forcibly or tightly
straightly1422
stented1513
reached1579
intended1590
stretched?1605
well-drawn1611
strained1640
distended1665
straightened1667
1640 J. Gower tr. Ovid Festivalls iv. 82 The strained ropes mens toilsome hands do wring.
1769 J. Granger Biogr. Hist. Eng. II. 563 One represents her dancing on a strained, the other vaulting on a slack rope.
1854 B. Powell Pereira's Lect. Polarized Light (ed. 2) 143 The immediate effect of heat on one part of a piece of glass is to put all the surrounding parts into a strained state.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany iv. 39 Their well-formed ankles [shown to advantage] by their tightly strained black stockings.
1869 W. J. M. Rankine Cycl. Machine & Hand-tools Summary Princ. 1 If a previously strained body, upon the removal of the stress, recovers its free shape, it is said to be perfectly elastic.
1888 T. Watts Burden Armada in Athenæum 18 Aug. 224/2 And now, amid the tempest's din Each Spaniard in the strained Vasana pales.
2. Of a part of the body: injured by over-exertion of the muscles, etc. Said also of an animal suffering from such an injury.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > diseases of tissue > disorders affecting muscles > [adjective] > sprain or strain
wrenched1556
sprained1606
strained1611
raxed1824
ricked1839
paratonic1857
wrangled1876
sprung1912
pulled1913
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Seton,..the rowelling, or roping of a bruised, or strained horse.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison II. xvi. 165 A wry face, and a strain'd neck, denoting her difficulty to get down but a lark's morsel.
1829 J. Lawrence Hist. Horse 185 I have, now and then, heard of a strained ankle as the consequence [of a lady's jumping from her saddle].
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 175 These cases..which are often called ‘strained back,’ etc.
3. Of the voice, gaze, attention, ‘nerves’, etc.: exerted by an abnormal effort or to an abnormal degree. Of look or expression: showing signs of nerve-tension.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [adjective] > shrill or forced
shrillc1386
shirl1418
straineda1542
treble1550
efforced1590
shrilly1594
minikin1602
stridulous1646
feigned1664
extended1699
pipy1769
falsetto1826
screechy1834
stridulent1874
roofy1897
taut1916
the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [adjective] > full of or subject to extreme or excessive > exerted by
straineda1542
overracked1589
overstrained1599
exerted1675
overtasked1828
screwed-up1829
the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > tension > [adjective]
tautc1275
rigid?a1425
high-strung1653
wound-up1788
stretched1799
high-toned1804
overstrung1810
intense1817
tense1821
high-tuned1827
screwed-up1829
twittery1840
high-keyed1848
strung-up1853
strained1863
tensioned1872
twitchy1874
keyed-up1885
tensed1911
uptight1934
wired1970
a1542 T. Wyatt Psalm xxxii. Prol. 216 in Coll. Poems (1969) With straynid voyce agayne thus cryth he.
1577 T. Kendall tr. Politianus et al. Flowers of Epigrammes f. 80 With strained throates God saue the kyng they crie, and crie alowde.
1606 H. Wotton in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) I. 343 Whom welcoming with a very high and strained voice.
1697 W. Congreve Mourning Bride ii. i. 19 O my strain'd Heart.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 73 The person who sung kept a strained and powerful voice at its highest pitch.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge lxi. 293 With eager eyes and strained attention.
1863 M. Oliphant Salem Chapel II. xxi. 15 Afraid to relax her strained nerves even by leaning back or forward.
1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xxviii. 368 The strained, drawn expression, telling of mental suffering.
4. Of conduct, demeanour, gestures, etc.: produced under compulsion or by deliberate effort; artificial, forced, not spontaneous or natural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [adjective] > lacking natural ease
strainedc1400
artificial1558
forced1621
unnatural1828
c1400 Rom. Rose 7325 My lemman, Streyned-Abstinence [Fr. m'amie Contrainte-Astenance].
1588 W. Rankins Eng. Ape 23 Theyr strayned modesty, and theyr counterfayte coynesse.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. i. 160 + 1 This strained passion doth you wrong my lord. View more context for this quotation
a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) iii. iii. 43 Foole Away with this straind mirth. View more context for this quotation
1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. vi. sig. H7 If you search for high and strained Carriages; you shall for the most part, meete with them, in low men.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. xiii. 126 Thoroughly used to him as he was, he found something new and strained in him [sc. his friend] that was for the moment perplexing.
1898 R. Kipling Day's Work 235 The strained, eye-shirking talk at dinner till the servants had withdrawn.
5. Of language, construction put upon words or actions, etc.: employed or interpreted in a laboured, far-fetched, or non-natural sense; wrested or distorted from the natural meaning or intention; pressed, forced. Of a conception, supposition, etc.: pushed beyond what is natural or reasonable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > misinterpretation > distortion or perversion of meaning > [adjective]
corruptc1386
racked1546
detorted?1550
wrested1551
writhen1551
writhed1562
forced1583
tortured1603
strained1609
distorted1641
violented1641
crook1647
extorted1652
refracted1655
madly wrested1656
wry1663
corrupted1699
non-natural1844
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > inelegance > [adjective] > forced
high-strained1565
constrained1571
forced1583
overstrained1599
strained1609
epitonic1879
smart1899
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > misuse > [adjective] > misused > misapplied > stretched beyond proper limits
strained1609
overstretcheda1628
screwed1646
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > lack of reason, irrationality > [adjective] > beyond what is reasonable
strained1768
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets lxxxii. sig. F2 When they haue deuisde, What strained touches Rhethorick can lend. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xlii. 304 Which is a strange, and very much strained interpretation.
1747 Ld. Chanc. Hardwicke in G. Harris Life (1847) I. 374 I own I thought this a strained construction, and did not scruple to say so.
1768 H. Walpole Hist. Doubts 64 There is nothing strained in the supposition of Richard's sparing his nephew.
1857 C. Bathurst Remarks Differences Shakespeare's Versification 42 There is nothing pompous, strained, ranting.
1885 Law Times 78 386/2 Surely this is rather a strained construction to put upon the 26th section?
6. Of a regulation, enactment, prerogative, etc.: pushed or urged beyond what is equitable. Of personal relations, a situation, etc.: subjected to a dangerous degree of tension, forced to a point where a rupture becomes imminent.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > strictness > [adjective] > strict or severe (of rules, judgement, or discipline) > strained
strained1735
society > society and the community > dissent > [adjective] > strained (of relations)
strained1880
1735 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. IV. 273 Was it not a wise amendment of what was too strained and excessive in that law of Lycurgus?
1880 Daily News 2 Nov. The situation was thought ‘strained’ even in a disturbed Oriental country.
1899 P. H. Brown Hist. Scotl. I. ii. ii. 77 The peace between the two kings was of short duration. On the Easter following their treaty a trifling incident again placed them in strained relations.
1911 H. Craik Life Ld. Clarendon I. iii. 69 Charles..resolved to summon a Parliament. The first step in the surrender of a strained prerogative was taken.
7. Passed through a strainer or colander.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > general preparation processes > [adjective] > strained
drawna1425
strained1591
well-strained1665
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > straining > [adjective] > strained
strained1591
colate1661
well-strained1665
sileda1800
1591 A. W. Bk. Cookrye (rev. ed.) 12 So boyle them in the broth and thicke it with strained bread.
1596 P. Barrough Method of Phisick (ed. 3) viii. 436 To the strained decoction, put of the iuice of quince peares and pomegranates.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Pressis, cullisses, or strained meats.
1673 Gentlewomans Compan. 131 A Gallendine-sauce made with strained Bread, Vinegar [etc.].
1731 J. Arbuthnot Ess. Nature Aliments iii. 31 If the Plant be boil'd in the same Water, the strain'd Liquor is call'd the Decoction of the Plant.
1871 A. B. Garrod Essentials Materia Medica (new ed.) 170 Reduce the strained liquor to three pints.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > melody or succession of sounds > [adjective] > having a melody
strained1589
melodious1728
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. i. 53 The harmonicall concents of the artificial Musicke, consisting in strained tunes.
1601 J. Weever Mirror of Martyrs sig. B8 Whose strayned ditties most melodicall.
Derivatives
ˈstrainedly adv.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > misinterpretation > distortion or perversion of meaning > [adverb]
arsewardc1386
corruptlya1387
forcedly1548
strainedly1571
corruptedly1610
depravedly1643
arsewards1648
corruptively1655
depravingly1665
the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [adverb] > without natural ease
forcedly1872
strainedly1891
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (ix. 7) i. f. 27 Others more streynedly interpret it.
1697 G. Keith 2nd Narr. Proc. Turners-Hall 26 He unfairly and strainedly defends G. Fox's words.
1891 H. C. Halliday Someone must Suffer I. viii. 184 She entered, smiling rather strainedly.
ˈstrainedness n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [noun] > want of natural ease
strainedness1639
unnaturalness1870
1639 N. N. tr. J. Du Bosc Compl. Woman ii. 59 Hence it is they live with so much strainednesse, and that there is nothing even or natively done in their behaviours.
1901 Chambers's Encycl. VII. 141/2 A frequent over-elaboration of style and strainedness of wit that fatigues rather than exhilarates.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1917; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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adj.c1400