1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tinderbox
Drought conditions in Los Angeles made the area a tinderbox – flammable conditions exacerbated by the fact that Southern California had unusually wet weather from 2022 to 2024.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
Millions of Californians already live in tinderbox canyons and at the edges of shrub fields and overgrown forests.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
Urban warfare The Los Angeles inferno adds another difficulty: an urban tinderbox.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
Millions of Californians already live in tinderbox canyons and at the edges of shrub fields and overgrown forests.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
Urban warfare The Los Angeles inferno adds another difficulty: an urban tinderbox.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
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The team analyzed 130 rock samples from volcanoes in the Afar region.—
Nora Bradford,
Scientific American,
7 July 2025
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However, a secret held for decades by the U.S. military is far more terrifying than any volcano.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
7 July 2025
Noun
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After signing it Monday evening, Newsom heralded it as a solution to the state’s affordability crisis, which reached a fever pitch last year and peaked when a series of wildfires devastated Los Angeles in January, burning thousands of homes.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2025
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Stablecoins have, historically, flourished where there is economic instability and global crisis may further support the cross-border reliance on the stability of the U.S. currency.—
Priya Prakash Royal Esq. LL.M. MBA AEP TEP,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
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So, the situation in Hungary is that no one knows what the rules actually are.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
8 July 2025
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The situation is so dire that to stay open, the shelter is asking Caldwell to increase its funding by 700%.—
Amaia Gavica
July 8,
Idaho Statesman,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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