strained

In describing his unusually positive experiences during the pandemic, when he married and became a father, Yoakam’s voice became strained by emotion.

Anolik is less charitable about Babitz’s subsequent work, which she considers to be attenuated and strained, lacking the buzzy exuberance of “Slow Days, Fast Company.”

Russian strikes have severely damaged Ukraine’s power grid, and as winter approaches, officials predict that Ukraine’s power capacity will be strained, although repairs and support from allied nations may help the country avoid the large-scale blackouts of previous seasons.

Tax credits to help people buy homes could overwhelm an already strained housing market.

To investigators at the scene of Polly Klaas’ abduction in early October 1993, the story strained belief.