1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
while the country's prime minister was meeting with the U.S. president, a political tinderbox was igniting at home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 tinderbox
Forests have become tinderboxes overgrown with trees, shrubs, and other fuels due to lack of maintenance and decades of fire suppression—to the point where 80 million acres are in need of restoration.
—
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The big picture: Both Trump and President Biden will now face pressure to dial down the temperature ahead of an election that has transformed the country into a tinderbox, writes Axios' Zachary Basu.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 14 July 2024
Destructive protests occasionally flare, leading some analysts to observe that Latin American politics remains a tinderbox.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2023
Current weather conditions — including a severe lack of rainfall this year in Los Angeles — have created a tinderbox in the region.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
The big picture: Both Trump and President Biden will now face pressure to dial down the temperature ahead of an election that has transformed the country into a tinderbox, writes Axios' Zachary Basu.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 14 July 2024
Destructive protests occasionally flare, leading some analysts to observe that Latin American politics remains a tinderbox.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2023
Current weather conditions — including a severe lack of rainfall this year in Los Angeles — have created a tinderbox in the region.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
-
Mountains rose, volcanoes erupted and the Atlantic Ocean was born.—
Alexandra Witze,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The left image features the expansive Tharsis plateau and its chain of dormant volcanoes, including the colossal Olympus Mons, which can be seen towering above the Martian clouds.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The combative atmosphere under the Trump administration has raised concerns among some legal experts of a potential constitutional crisis.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
-
Thirty-somethings have lived through two once-in-a-lifetime recessions, an unprecedented global pandemic, and several housing crises…and in spite of all that, leggings have prevailed.—
Kelsey Stiegman,
Glamour,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Flight passenger orders pizza for entire plane amid 4-hour delay A generous plane passenger whose departure from South Carolina had been delayed for four hours tried to make the best of a frustrating situation by ordering pizza for everyone on the flight at Charleston International Airport.—
Perri Ormont Blumberg,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
And if the situation isn’t that dire, if our geopolitical power under President Trump is still strong enough to influence the behavior of one small Latin American state, then the Trump administration is choosing to disobey the orders of our nation’s Supreme Court.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share