- labored: lacking natural ease; "a labored style of debating"
- showing signs of mental and emotional tension; "her voice was strained as she asked the question"
- constrained: lacking spontaneity; not natural; "a constrained smile"; "forced heartiness"; "a strained smile"
- agonistic: struggling for effect; "agonistic poses"
- (straining) arduous: taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance; "his final, straining burst of speed"; "a strenuous task"; "your willingness after these six arduous days to remain here"- F.D.Roosevelt
- (straining) strain: an intense or violent exertion
- (straining) distortion: the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
- Forced through a strainer
- (Straining) initial phase of purification of polluted water, which involves eliminating solid waste and large particles.
- (Straining) An overstretching or overexertion of some part of the musculature which involves excessive effort
- Showing signs of audible distress during loud passages, as though the system is verging on overload. Compare "ease," "effortless."