straining

(s) 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
arduous, strenuous,

Nouns

(n) an intense or violent exertion strain,
(n) the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean overrefinement, twisting, torture, distortion,

Synonyms

strain arduous strenuous overrefinement twisting torture distortion

Words of close approximity