Thesaurus results for POWDER KEG

powder keg

noun

as in volcano

a potentially explosive place or situation the immigration bill has become a political powder keg for legislators on both sides of the aisle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of powder keg The Middle East, a global geopolitical issue since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and even more of a powder keg since the creation of Israel in 1948, is conflagrating once again. —

Michael Khouw, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026 Or, perhaps even more likely, Iran devolves into a morass, a chaotic power struggle that destabilizes the entire powder keg of a region. —

The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026 And that’s just the powder keg that is the hospital itself. —

Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026 This lack of accountability creates a powder keg. —

Joshua Simmons, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for powder keg

Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder keg

volcano

Noun

Its dormant volcano, known as the Quill, dominates the southern part of the island.

— R. Grant Gilmore III, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
The breakthrough was announced in a press conference at the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli Vittorio Emanuele III, just 40 miles away from the famous volcano, on Thursday, June 25, by researchers working on the Vesuvius Challenge.

— Adam England, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026