Showing strain is a term used to describe a person or situation that is under a lot of stress. The crossword solutions for this term are TAUT (4 letters), EDGY (4 letters), and TENSE (5 letters). TAUT means tight, stretched, or rigid, EDGY means nervous or irritable, and TENSE means strained or anxious. Therefore, showing strain can be described as a state of being tight, stretched, rigid, nervous, irritable, strained, or anxious.