straining

adjective

  1. 1

    taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance

    his final, straining burst of speed

    a strenuous task

noun

  1. 1

    an intense or violent exertion

  2. 2

    the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean

Synonyms

Also useful for “straining”:Unscrambler