adj.
1 worried and tense
VERBS
▪ be , feel , look , seem , sound
ADVERB
▪ extremely , fairly , very , etc.
▪
She looked rather ~ and miserable.
▪ a little , slightly , etc.
2 not natural or friendly
VERBS
▪ be
▪ become , grow
▪ remain
▪
The atmosphere remained somewhat ~ all evening.
ADVERB
▪ extremely , fairly , very , etc.
▪
Relations between us were rather ~.
▪ severely
▪
Relations between the two countries had become severely ~.
▪ increasingly
▪ a little , slightly , etc.
▪ already
▪
Their already ~ relationship was made worse by this incident.
Strained is used with these nouns: ↑ atmosphere , ↑ muscle , ↑ relation , ↑ relationship , ↑ silence , ↑ voice